December 9, 2023

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #278 Unique

“Unique is the quality of being unlike anything else.” – Amy, L-A host for the week.  Here are a few unique scenes of trees and architectural structures I stumbled on over the past many years. The header shows Fort Gorges, a former US military fort on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay, Maine, built in 1864. It was never used and fell to decay and ruin until a few years ago when it became a historic landmark, was restored and opened as a tourist site. “Of all man’s works of art, a cathedral is greatest. A vest and majestic tree is greater than that.” – Henry Ward Beecher This grand…

November 25, 2023

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #276 Looking Up, Looking Down

“Sometimes changing your perspective is all it takes to see the light.” – Dan Brown James of Jazzibee is the guest host this week. He challenges us to view the world from different perspectives by Looking Up and Looking Down. This first image was taken looking up at the colorful rigging on a local commercial shrimp boat. Looking up at the upper half of the stupa at Brahmavihara-Arama Buddhist Monastery in Bali, Indonesia. Tibetan style eyes surround the top symbolizing Buddha’s wisdom to see all things in four directions. “Look, up at the sky. There is a light, a beauty up there, that no shadow can touch.” – J.R.R. Tolkien…

August 26, 2023

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #263 Faces in the Crowd

“A crowd is not company, and faces are but a gallery of pictures, and talk is but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love.” – Francis Bacon Our challenge this week is to feature faces, in a crowd or standing alone. I decided on a few random pictures showing various people’s faces in a crowd.  Most are strangers although the last few pictures are the faces of long-time friends. The first is a fascinating exhibit showing numerous faces of Chicago citizens at Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. A different person’s face is projected on LED screens at regular intervals and each fountain has an outlet in the screen there…

July 29, 2023

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #259 Unbound

“I have never in my life been so struck by any place as by Venice. It is the wonder of the world.” – Charles Dickens This week Dan of departing in 5 mins, is the guest host, and has chosen ‘Unbound’ as our photo challenge. He says, “Unbound: Capturing moments that take you away from your daily routine and/or everyday responsibilities.  Is it a day trip, a road trip, or maybe a great escape?” Several years ago my husband and I took a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea, visiting many interesting countries along the way. We spent fifteen wonderful days learning about other people and countries, sight seeing, relaxing and…

December 24, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #230 Last Chance

Tina leads our photo challenge this week with a unique topic. She suggests we feature favorite pictures taken in 2022 that have not been shown before and do not fit into any particular category. In keeping with the Christmas season, these carolers from Charleston sang holiday favorites during a friend’s Christmas party.   In August we spent a week in Newport, Rhode Island, touring the town and then several days on Goat Island for a friend’s wedding celebration. Part of the week was rainy but once the storms cleared out, the sunsets on the Island were specular. In July we traveled to Quebec, Canada, and played golf at Owl’s Head Golf…

September 17, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #216 Urban Environments

“I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance.” – Nora Ephron Our host this week, Sofia of Photographias, challenges us to feature pictures showing different urban environments. She says, “There are no two identical cities, they’re a product of many different aspects from history to location, to culture and to the people….There’s something mesmerizing about city views. Obviously, some cities offer better views either for geographical reasons or due to the type of buildings.” Every city’s skyline is unique,…

April 2, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #192 Earth Story

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” – Einstein This week Amy selected Earth Story as our photo challenge theme. She says, “The natural world has many stories to tell.  They are written on the ground, in the mountains and rivers, and on rocks and trees.  Let’s share their stories through our lenses.”    I decided to feature a few pictures which show different segments of the earth and our natural world and each with its own story to tell. Each picture can be enlarged by double clicking it. The header picture is flowers from a large orange tree in our yard. Right now the tree is…

March 19, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #190 Close and Closer

“In photography the smallest thing can be the greatest subject.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson This week it is suggested we take a closer look at the subjects we photograph.  Look for interesting details, patterns, colors or unseen objects to show.  This can be accomplished using a macro lens, zoom lens, by moving ourselves in closer or simply cropping.  Note, these images can be enlarged by double clicking them. The banner shot shows different types of coral found on Caribbean reefs.  And, the image below highlights a small area of the reef, revealing the detailed beauty in the various corals.  This was taken at The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. This…

February 5, 2022

Lens-Artists #184 Travel Has Taught Me…

“I am not the same,having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world” – Mary Anne Radmacher Over the years my husband and I have visited many countries around the world, meeting a lot of wonderful people along the way. These trips taught me alot about people who live all over the world.   I learned people everywhere are basically alike, we all share very similar values and desires.  Family life is very important as well as social friendships, religious beliefs also play a big role in many cultures.  Travel also taught me that complete strangers are generally very kind and helpful.  It does not matter whether we speak…

January 29, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #183 Memorable Events

“When memorable events are remembered, they bring a smile to our faces.” – Sylvia Bacon This week we are asked to share a few favorite memorable events.  Looking back through my pictures, I decided to start off by featuring pictures from a couple of trips when visiting close friends.  When looking at these pictures again, it was nice to relive the fun we all had plus the wonderful sights and things we did.  The banner picture shows the Cloud Gate sculpture, affectionally known as The Bean.  It is the centerpiece in Millennium Park in Chicago.   The picture below was taken at Niagara Falls, from the Canadian side of the border…