March 8, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #289 Tools of Composition

“The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it?” – Edward Weston John of photobyjohnbo is hosting the challenge this week and he suggests we focus on only four compositional factors in photography; Shape, Form, Texture and Light of objects. The first two, Shape and Form, are occasionally used interchangeably although they have two distinct visual characteristics which is determined by the way light strikes the object. A Shape looks flat or two-dimensional where as a Form is an object that is emphasized by shadows and highlights creating depth or a three-dimensional look. Let’s compare a few pictures to show how to determine the difference…

March 2, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #288 Window Shopping

“’Window shopping is a dance between temptation and self-restraint,’ captures the essence of the experience when one strolls past enticing store displays without making a purchase.” – unknown Ritva, of Ritva Sillanmaki Photography, is hosting our photo challenge this week and her topic is to feature different types of window displays that attract attention. This could be the use of vibrant colors, expressions of shoppers, unusual displays or even storytelling. For example, who wouldn’t be temped to have lunch or dinner in such an appealing looking resturant in Burano, Italy? The window display in the beautiful Hotel Catalonia Catedral in Barcelona, Spain is a terrific way to draw attention to…

February 23, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #287 Sound

This week Donna of Wind Kisses suggests we feature a few pictures showing examples of sound. Sources of sound can be divided into two types: geophony or natural and man-made.  A few examples of natural sounds would be blowing wind, flowing streams or oceans, storms or animals such as the barking dog playing on the beach in the header shot. Well-known man-made sources are road vehicles, airplanes, music, home appliances, for example. I will start off showing a few examples of man-made sounds. “The city is a symphony of sounds, from the sirens to the laughter to the footsteps of strangers” – unknown Big city sounds is a continuous hum…

February 16, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #286 Weather

“Sometimes I wish that I was the weather, you’d bring me up in conversations forever. And when it rained, I’d be the talk of the day.” – John Mayer “The weather” almost always seems to come up in general conversations! Discussions can center around what to wear outside to stay comfortable, whether to plan an outing on a given day, how today’s weather makes us feel, and this list could go on. For some photographers, weather is an important consideration before going outside with the camera! Suppose the light outside is too harsh or flat at midday or too stormy or its snowing too hard to venture out? These are…

February 6, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Chllenge #285 Warm Colours

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” – Don McCullin Warm colors tend to stand out and draw attention. Most people generally think of only red, orange and yellow although gold, beige, creamy neutrals, brown and tan are also warm colors. It is said the brain associates warm colors with a range of feelings, including passion, comfort, anger, and power. Below are a few examples featuring all eight colors. For fun, as you look through these photos, see if any of them influence the way you…

January 27, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #283 Illustrate a Favorite Quote

“Birds in flight fascinate me. I admire eagles, falcons [and all birds]. I’m inspired by a feather but also its color, its graphics, its weightlessness and its engineering. It’s so elaborate…” – Alexander McQueen This week I am sharing a few favorite quotes and illustrating them with pictures. This first quote relates to the header image showing a flock of Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa) during one of their stop-overs on Kiawah Island, SC. These birds migrate from their winter home on the coast of southern Chile and Argentina to islands above the Arctic Circle for summer, a flight of more than 9,300 miles or 14,966.9 kilometers, a journey which…

January 20, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #282 Dramatic

What does it mean to photograph a dramatic scene or create a dramatic looking picture in post processing? What makes a picture appear dramatic? It is said a dramatic mood can be created by anything that evokes strong emotions in the viewer and gets the imagination going, or is mysterious, exciting, scary or unusual. Below are a few of my favorites which seem to fit this defination.  Dramatic Old House! This house in Maine is perched atop a seaside cliff which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Interestly, last summer on the internet I saw its photo along with an advertisment about an FBI mystery thriller novel being for sale…

January 12, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #281 Highlights from 2023

“Photography is a love affair with life.” – Burk Uzzle This week Tina wants us to share a few favorite pictures from 2023. Selecting only a few turned out to be harder than I thought! Note: Clicking on a picture to open it in full screen. Also, to read more of an individual post, click on the underlined title. “Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” – Orhan Pamuk It only seems right to start off by showing pictures of Tucker, our puppy who recently turned one year old. His energy and enthusiasm has dominated our household and our lives!  Tucker was featured in May…

December 30, 2023

Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a wonderful year ahead filled with happiness, inner peace and Hope for a better tomorrow!   I feel lucky to have seen this lovely holiday scene at Freshfields, Kiawah Island, SC. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – J.K. Rowling (Albus Bumbledore, from Harry Potter) My Hope for 2024 is for it to be a prosperous year of pleasant surprises, joy and good health for you and your family! In closing, it would not seen right if I did not include my favorite quote which many of you have read before… “Unexpected kindness is the most powerful,…

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…