December 2, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #227 Home Sweet Home

“Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” – Nate Berkus This week Tina suggests we think about where Home Sweet Home is to us. We may consider the country we live in to be our home, a neighborhood or our residence. My husband and I live on Kiawah Island and our home sweet home is a special place for us and our family. The house is surrounded by tall trees, blooming plants and an abundance of wildlife. There always seems to be pretty colors in our yard from a tree or two that is blooming at the time. Now…

November 26, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #226 Textures

“It’s an obvious opportunity for black and white when a scene contains little color but lots of texture.” – John Beardsworth Texture is an important part of our interaction with art and photography. It is said to be an important factor along with line, color, shape, form, value and space. In a photograph it can add visual interest, highlight unique patterns, or even evoke emotions.  Texture in Nature:  The opening header shot was taken in Maine right after a hurricane passed through. I feel like this picture is full of different textures; the sharp rocks with soft moss growing on the tops, fast moving water with air-filled foam on the surface and the…

November 12, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #224 Exposure

This week the challenge is learning more about Exposure and showing a few examples. When using your camera, the amount of exposure is determined by how much light passes through the lens. Exposure levels can also be determined in post editing using software such as Photoshop or Lightroom or the editing software in an iPhone. The picture below was edited using Photoshop and bumping the exposure slide up to give the image an ethereal look. The second one looks more like the image in the camera. Is there one look you prefer over the other? This is another example of how an original image can be converted into a high…

November 5, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #223 Flights of Fancy

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead This past week John (photobyjohnbo) has challenged us to “… consider sharing images of interesting or unusual subjects that represent notions or ideas that seem incredible even today or seemed unrealistic at some point in the past.”  I decided to feature the Constitution, a former warship located in Boston National Historical Park, part of Charlestown Navy Yard in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The USS Constitution, one of five frigates built for the United States Navy in 1776, gained recogination during the War of 1812 and then…

October 8, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #219 Treasure Hunt

Tina is hosting a treasure hunt this week so she made a list of subjects for us to feature with our pictures.  The first is about umbrellas and extra credit if people are using them in  the rain. Another is the picture of a truck and extra credit if it includes the driver and/or what the truck is hauling. Happily, I earned plenty of extra credit again😉 because the driver is loading his truck with shipping contains full of lobsters, headed for  market.  And, there is also the fire engine with the driver and his passengers as the header! Pets are also on her list; this is our two cocker…

September 23, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #217 Opposites

This week we are challenged to show examples of opposites. They can be seen in many places, a few examples could be red and green or other complementary colors on the color wheel, light and dark, circles and straight lines, hot and cold, soft and hard. A well know quote by Niel Bohr is “Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.”  This is so true because when opposites are together it is easy to see how well they complement each other. For example, the header shot of fall foliage shows two opposite colors on the color wheel, red and green.  Below are two pictures of my granddaughter which show the opposites…

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,…

September 1, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #214 Favorite Finds

“When the magic hour arrives, my thoughts center on light rather than on the landscape. I search for perfect light, then hunt for something earthbound to match with it.” – Galen Rowell Our challenge this week is to share a few pictures, randomly taken, which later turned out to be a favorite. Lately, I am trying to be more aware of the impact natural light has on a picture. For example, I was drawn to the scene below after noticing  yellow sunlight reflecting off the bricks and steam from the smoldering fire. To my surprise, when viewing this picture the next day, I noticed the camera had also picked up…

August 4, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #210 Three Favorite Photos

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” – Ansel Adams This week Sarah says, “join me in sharing three of what you consider to be among your very best shots… Look into your archives and apply your most critical eye; play ‘judge’ and try to look dispassionately at your images. Pick out three (just three) that stand out as particular favourites.”  Be sure to see her three favorites and learn why she chose them by clicking here. The scene below is a common sight in Kennebunkport, ME. What caught my attention on this particular day was low hanging rain clouds that were beginning to clear,…

July 26, 2022

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #209 Surrealism

For our post this week, Tracy of Reflections of an Untidy Mind chose Surreal as the topic. A great subject but unfortunately one I am not familiar with! Actually, I don’t think anyone has ever mentioned my name and the word Surreal in the same sentence.  This should give you an idea as to why I feel outside of my comfort zone!   I found a few pictures from the New England Aquarium in Boston, MA, which might fit the definition of Surreal after some editing with Photoshop and Topaz software. If Andy Warhol decided to paint a surreal looking jelly fish, do you think it might be as colorful as…