October 4, 2019

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #65 VENICE ITALY – SPECIAL MEMORIES

Am happy to be back with my blog this week.  I had to take a break to pack up the house and travel over a thousand miles back to our winter home on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.   This week Tina is asking us to think about a place we have visited which holds special memories, for example a small town, city, or country.  She suggests we show pictures which help capture the spirit of this place so others can see and feel what we did.  Not too long ago my husband and I spent a couple of days in Venice, Italy, and both of us instantly fell in love…

August 14, 2019

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #58 SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED AND BLUE

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…  This is from an old English rhyme and this week Patti is challenging us to feature pictures of places or things that have some or all of these good luck qualities.   She also mentioned that showing all four qualities in one image could be extra challenging, and it certainly was!  This topic required a bit of thought 😟….then, I remembered taking a family visit to Peak’s Island in Maine a couple of years ago and how pretty it was with an abundance of color everywhere; buildings, homes and vegetation!  Before taking you on a short pictorial tour around the Island I’d like…

July 18, 2019

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #54 DETAILS – Achilleion Palace, Corfu, Greece

This week Patti is challenging us to show details surrounding a particular person, place or thing which otherwise appears so visually overwhelming it is hard to know what or how to photograph it.  She points out that sometimes focusing the camera on details can best describe the beauty and history of the site and help tell the big story.  Click here to enjoy her post on Details. The Achilleion Palace in Corfu, Greece is a good example of a place so massive and beautiful it was difficult to know how to photograph it.  In addition, it was a bit challenging figuring out how to get some good pictures as crowds…

July 12, 2019

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #53 CHOICES – Black and White

In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Lens-Artists Photo Challenge we are invited to post pictures on a subject of our choice.  I decided to feature only black and white images this week.  Interestingly, since not all pictures turn out to be good black and white candidates.  Worthy ones tend to emphasis shapes, lines and texture, in addition to shadows, reflections and contrasts.  Often times these features add mood and emotion and can attract more attention, maybe this is why many people believe this is photography in its purest form.  Hope you enjoy seeing these images in a different “light”! 😊 “There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.” –…

June 22, 2019

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #50 TREES

Ann-Christine invites us to explore Trees this week and show a few which have caught our attention.  I often look for unusual formations and details in the shape of their trunk and branches plus whether or not they are growing in an unusual place such as asphalt and concrete.  As a side note, other trees have been previously featured in my blogs although the two best known are Angel Oak on Johns Island, SC and the Lone Cypress in Pebble Beach, CA. When in Aruba a few years ago, we located this well-known Diva-Diva tree on the beach close to the road.  There are a couple of the popular Mysore Fig trees on the Winter…

June 15, 2019

FAVORITE THINGS: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

Patti invited us to share a few pictures showing a favorite place or activity…” just about anything that brings you happiness.”  I have many favorites (family, people, pets, places, pictures I’ve taken) so it is difficult to pick only a few.  I could fill volumes of books with a list of Favorite Things!    Since we are in Wells, Maine for the summer, I decided to share a favorite activity I have enjoyed for years – going on early morning walks.  Often our two cocker spaniels, Bentley and Chester, and my husband accompany me (along with my camera!). A few days ago, we decided to walk around Ogunquit.  Unfortunately, after…

May 17, 2019

STREET ART: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

For this week’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge, Patti suggests we share some images of Street Art.  Looking through photos, there seem to be different styles such as “artsy” pictures, fun images designed to make people smile, those showing a landscape scene or ones where the artist has a statement to make.  Interestingly, in many cities’ artists are encouraged to create murals or Street Art on buildings, sidewalks or wherever they can find a “canvas”.  For example, Montreal holds annual graffiti or Street Art festivals, one of which is internationally renowned.    “I laugh at the way some people think graffiti is all selfish tagging and vandalism. Thoughtful street art is like…

April 20, 2019

DELICIOUS: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

This week Patti’s photo challenge invites us to explore what “Delicious” means to them.  To me, Delicious means good food and drink, the preparation of it and enjoyment while eating. Last summer we spent a few days in Boston, MA, with good friends exploring the city and reliving many good memories from previous years.  Our adventures took us to the Food Court at Copley Place Mall and the variety and presentation of delicious food waiting to be prepared was staggering. Apologizes in advance for not having pictures of beef, pork or other meats in their showcase.  For whatever reason I could not locate my photos from the meat showcases.   Now I…

April 12, 2019

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

Tina asked us to show Something Different this week.  Hmm… a very interesting challenge which made me think about what subjects in photography I least enjoy photographing and are not  in my comfort zone.  Photographing people up close and especially strangers in a public place is something I rarely do and not what you would expect from me! “I like to challenge myself.  I like to learn – so I like to try new things and try to keep growing.” – David Schwimmer   All of these images are from a morning photo shoot which focused on street photography in Charleston, SC, on part of King Street.  Some of you may…

March 22, 2019

HISTORY: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge

“History” is the topic Patti chose for us to interpret with some of our photos.  Immediately the Monastero di Sana Chiara in Naples, Italy came to mind.  As my husband and I were walking through Naples with our tour group last year, we came upon this stunning complex in the middle of the city.  It was like discovering an oasis surrounded by the hustle and bustle of city life. Sana Chiara is a religious complex built in 1340, it is steeped in history and a rare example of Medieval architecture.  Originally commissioned by the French Kingdom of Anjou for the Franciscan order in the early 1300s, it is the site…