Theme announcement ***February*** for real

[Mira]

I had to think about this a bit, and realized that I am not going to be alone in this. So I will let you know one day sooner than promised.
Here is the exact wording of the theme as given to me by HappyCynic the winner of the January contest, I will pass it on for your perusal and for the donning of creative thinking caps.
As I'm a day ahead of you knowing it I'm beginning to see the beauty in this theme.

A Part of the Whole - something which is distinctly part of a larger item/object (intact or otherwise) and can't stand alone
Examples:
- the bark of a tree
- a thorny stem
- one half of a broken bottle
- the rim of a tea cup
- the paw of a cat

For the "can't stand alone" part... A cloud would not fit in with the theme because, although it's a part of the "sky", it can stand alone as "a cloud". I know things can get kind of vague and debatable but the main intent is to have someone look at the picture and think of the whole item. (A photo of a car engine on cinder blocks wouldn't really fit the theme but a photo of a car engine clearly still within a car - maybe parts of the chassis and/or windshield are visible - would fit.)

I will before too long make the roster of the timing for the contest. I will be sure to end it before February expires, realizing it is the short month.
I very much hope you will also be intrigued by the theme, and get to either shooting or scanning your archives. There is time, but as always, it is awasting.

[Solly Mack]

1. That's an excellent theme!

[2naSalit]

2. Great theme!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. This is an excellent theme, my dear Mira! Kudos to HappyCynic and to you!

I already have an idea of a photo that just might work.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

4. This is great!

I can't wait. Kudos to HappyCynic for a great idea!

[StarryNite]

5. What a fun theme for the contestants.

[Callalily]

6. Good theme.

Will have to put my thinking cap on!

[AndyS]

7. I-i-i-i LIKE it!

It's gonna' be FUN. It's the way I see the world for good or ill.

[Mira]

8. I am so warming to it

I suddenly see parts of the whole wherever I go

[edhopper]

9. The fact that I couldn't

immediately think of as photo to use, shows it's a good theme.

[hippywife]

10. Interesting.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's interpretations.

[róisín_dubh]

11. Because I had an issue with last month's contest

(i.e. lochs are not necessarily lakes), I want to clarify something: a door to a place might not work, but a doorknob would, yeah? Or could a door work if, perhaps, I have part of the structure so that it's evident it part of?
THanks

[Mira]

12. The way I see it

a clear part of something - where the part is integral to a whole - but cannot stand on its own without evoking thoughts of the whole - is how this is meant.
So the doorknob would be good, unless it is lying on the ground and the door visibly as part of a structure would work as well IMO.

I am seeing things differently since this theme came along, and am struggling with it in my mind as well.

Soon it is Feb and we will see what submissions come in, and clarity may follow.

[róisín_dubh]

13. Awesome, thank you!

Now to look through my files and have a think 🤔

[HappyCynic]

14. For those struggling with the theme...

For anyone who is having trouble thinking of things for the theme, I'm not sure if this will help but this might be a useful thought experiment.
Don't think about what you would photograph to fit the theme.
Instead, look through photos you have - photos of objects are probably the most useful, followed by plants, animals, and people. For each photo, think of how you would crop it to fit the theme. If you have a photo of a flower, how does it look if you crop it so that only a quarter is visible? Or maybe if the stem is visible, how would the photo be if you cropped it so the stem, the connection point, and part of the petals is visible?
Have a photo of a person? Can it be cropped to show only part of the face but still evoke their emotions such that you can imagine their full expression?
Maybe you have a photo of a bridge. Is there an interesting photo to be had if you cropped out half of it?

Once you do a few of these thought experiments, hopefully it will help get you seeing things to photograph for the theme. (Or if you're lucky, you can use one of the cropped shots for the theme.)

[Mira]

15. This is monumentally helpful

Thank you HappyCynic. It will help me in presenting the theme when I open for submissions.

[HAB911]

16. Should "part of the whole" be singular?

i.e. could 1/4 of a ferris wheel with multiple cars qualify, or 1/2 an airplane with two engines, two masts of a ship unseen?

Inquiring minds...........lol

[HappyCynic]

17. To me...

1/4 of a ferris wheel definitely qualifies, as would 1/2 of a plane. The "a part" portion wasn't meant to denote a singular element of the whole. You do bring up a good point that it might cause confusion and should probably be changed to "part of the whole".

[HAB911]

18. excellent, thank you!

[Duncan Grant]

19. Excellent theme.

This is a real opportunity to move beyond a “pretty” picture. Looking forward to the submissions.

[Walleye]

20. Thank you! I will definitely be looking