April 26, 2025

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #345 My Go-To-Places

“Connections we make to people, places, things, and ideas, are what give purpose and meaning to our lives.” – Emily Esfahani Smith One of my favorite places to be is at home on Kiawah Island, outside walking in the neighborhood or on the beach. This is something I enjoy doing several times a week. (Years ago I loved jogging on a regular basis with our dogs but after having to replace two worn-out knees, my doctor advised me to take up another gentler sport, like walking.) I love going on long walks, especially with Tucker, our two year old Cocker Spaniel. These walks are important to me and he enjoys…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Landscape, Photography

December 21, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #329 Last Chance

The Photo Challenge topic is Last Chance. The Last Chance to selection a few photos taken in 2024 that have not been shown. Those that didn’t fit a particular challenge topic or were not quite good enough to make the first cut.    These first several images that did not fit any of the the topics. First is the header image showing a colorful lawn party being set up at a well-known Playhouse in Ogunquit, ME. Then, two pictures taken during the October aurora and the last in this series  shows a fallen tree during a thunderstorm. (Double click a picture to enlarge the details.) In early October it was…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Photography

November 16, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #324 Details

“To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly on the smallest detail.” – Giorgio Armani This week Patti suggests we revisit some photos and look for interesting details to highlight. She writes, “Choose a subject (a statue, a person, a place, street art, etc.) and take a series of photos about your subject. Get closer and closer to the subject, focusing on a particular detail(s).  Vary your shots by changing your perspective or angle of shooting or even your lens.  Post three photos of your subject. Feel free to shoot another series on a second subject.” Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) is the heart of Venice, Italy. It is…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Photography, Venice

November 8, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #323 Silence

“Silence is a natural resource we don’t often think about because it is an absence, rather than a presence. But most of the places we think of as “quiet” are actually filled with an abundance of natural sounds…. As humanity grows louder, these pockets of silence and natural sounds are becoming rarer.” – Pete McBride, filmmaker and author of Seeing Silence: The Beauty of the World’s Most Quiet Places McBride says silence is the absence of human-made sounds and the “sublime notes of nature”. Our Lens-Artist host, Egidio, of Through Brazilian Eyes, proposes we select a few pictures to emphasize the presence of silence through photography. In his post, Egidio…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Photography

October 26, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #321 Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)

“Intentional Camara Movement so much more than a Blurry Photo.” – Charlotte Bellamy For the challenge, Anne has suggested we explore Intentional Camera Movement or ICM. What is ICM? An in-camera photo technique that involves moving the camera while taking a shot, giving the picture a unique and creative look. The resulting image can have textures, layers or streaking and can produce abstract, minimalist, and impressionistic images. Some say that it is a creative process that can be personal and each pictue is unique.  When fall recently arrived in southern Maine, leaves on the trees turned into gorgeous colors.  So, as soon as I saw Anne’s challenge I knew I…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Abstract, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography

August 23, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #312 Sense of Scale

Sense of scale in photography is achieved by showing the size of one subject in relation to the size of another in the same picture. When this is done, the viewer can perceive the space or the depth perception between one verses the other. An easy way to illustrate this is to include a familiar subject along with another subject seen at a distance.  These first three pictures show a few areas of coastline and beaches in Southern Maine. The sense of scale can be visually appreciated since part of the plane is shown in each image. These were taken with an iPhone and can be enlarged by clicking on…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography, Travel

August 7, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #310 Zigzag Pictures

Our photo challenge is to feature pictures showing zigzag lines. Did not think I had many pictures but was surprised. As it turned out, most of these images are zigzag lines seen in nature, first is ocean waves, then butterfly wings, water reflections, Atlantic coastline and a slab of marble.  The first picture was taken at sunset on Kiawah Island, SC. Next is a beach scene of the Gulf of Mexico in Bonita Springs, Florida. Other zigzag lines seen in nature is lovely patterns on butterfly wings. Below is a Southern Oak Hairstreak butterfly with light-colored zigzag lines on its wings. (As a side note, the appearance of having it having…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography

June 29, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #305 Two Rectangles

Egidio, who is leading our photo challenge this week, suggests we show pictures emphasizing two rectangles.  He says, “By two rectangles, I mean you have two dominant rectangular areas in your image. For many people, this is one of those compositional tools we use without thinking about it. These rectangles give balance, harmony, and unity to a composition.” The image of these carps shows two pairs of rectangular areas created by contrasting light and shadows. Ever noticed the numerous rectangular areas on a baseball field?  Large billboards, advertisements around the seating area, division of seating sections in the stands and even grassy rectangular patterns on the field. Overall, these pleasing…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

April 6, 2024

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #293 Water in Motion

This opening shot captures one of many beautiful designs that can be created by splashing pool water in the sunlight as a person goes down a water slide and hits the water! As I thought about different ways water could be in motion a few adjectives came to mind. For example, the two pictures below show how powerful and dangerous an ocean can become at times. Or, how graceful and beautuful it can appear with lovely reflections on the surface.   Water in Motion can also create momentary feelings of comfort and energy as soft, hypnotic sounding waves wash up on the shore. Heavy rain beating on a wooden deck during…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

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…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography