November 6, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #172: A Day in My Week

“Right in this moment, I can’t even remember what unhappy feels like.”  – Maggie Stiefvater A few days ago around sunrise, I decided to take a long walk on the beach, something I try to do at least twice a week.  When walking down the boardwalk my attention was immediately drawn to the beautiful sweetgrass brushes growing beside the sand dunes.  “Nature unfolds her treasure at the first ray of sunrise.” – Kishore Bansol The beach looked magical this particular morning.  It was low tide and the sun was casting bright rays of light off the ocean surface and wet sand.   For the first half an hour the ocean and…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Atlantic Ocean, Kiawah Island SC, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Sunrises

October 2, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #166: Colors of Autumn

“Fall has always been my favorite season.  The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” – Lauren Destefano Autumn comes early in Maine.  You can tell it has arrived when a sweater or light jacket is needed in the mornings, leaves begin to turn into lovely yellows, reds and oranges, colorful chrysanthemums are visible everywhere and small groups of Canadian Geese stop over in local ponds for a day or two as they head south.    “How beautifully leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days.” – John Burrows. A look…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Autumn Colors, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Maine, Photography

September 18, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #165: Going Wide

“Appreciation is like looking through a wide-angle lens that lets you see the entire forest, not just the one tree limb you walked up on.” – Doc Childre Life through a wide angle lens. This is where the camera records what you see when looking at a particular scene with eyes fixed in one area.  By using shorter lenses you are able to get more in the picture and everything is on a smaller scale.  Wide angle lenses are versatile and work well in landscape scenes, street photography and architecture shots. I decided to feature a few landscape scenes which were converted to black and white.  The header shot was…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Black and White, Fine Art Photography, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Travel

September 11, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #164: Looking Up/Down

“When I’m in Boston, I always feel like I’m home.  I almost cry, I feel so good.” – Luis Tiant This week’s guest host, Sofia Alves, suggests we be conscience of photo opportunities around us which are either down, below our feet, or higher up, above our heads.  Recently we spent two days in Boston.  What a great photo opportunity for this week!  The header shot shows a row of colorful umbrellas hanging above the sidewalk on Hanover Street in Boston’s historic North End.  (Notice the emojis dangling from the purple umbrella!) We started our trip to the city on this Downeaster Amtrak train Wednesday morning.   Once arriving at the…

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

September 3, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #163: Keep Walking

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead.  Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow.  Just walk beside me and be my friend.” – Albert Camus This week Amy is asking us to share pictures of people walking.  What better place to see than in Charleston, South Carolina.  Due to it’s size, it is an easy city to walk, and one of the most visited cities in the United States.  Much has been written about Charleston Historic District which showcases magnificent historic homes, churches, and other buildings.  (A post for another day.)   These pictures show part of the retail and business area in Charleston.  They were taken…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Charleston SC, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

August 27, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #162 It’s All About the Light

“I am forever chasing light.  Light turns the ordinary into the magical.” – Trent Parke The challenge this week is to explore the magic of light.  Share images illustrating the extraordinary power light has to convey emotions in a photo. This first picture shows the sunlight on clouds which have been stirred up by ocean breezes.  The light has turned them into a golden color giving the picture an airy, light, optimistic feel.  “Photography is painting with light” – Miroslav Tichy The power of light… I can still recall an eerie feeling sweeping over me as everything turned pinkish and blue.  This soft natural light created several surreal, ethereal moments…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Fine Art Photography, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Natural Light

July 28, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #158 Along Back Country Roads

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost This week we are challenged to feature images seen on back country roads.  Roads we walk or ride on off the beaten path, through farmland, forests, quaint small towns or in the middle of nowhere. Here are a few sights which caught my attention when exploring unknown country roads.  The building below is on Peake’s Island, a small Island in Casco Bay off the coast of Portland, Maine.  Peake’s Island is only accessible by ferry; the few people who live there have cars, otherwise others have…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Fine Art Photography, LENS-ARTISTS, Maine, Old Buildings, Photography

June 11, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #151 From Large to Small

“The world is glittering with gold and yellow streamers of sunlight wind through the tree boughs like God was throwing a party!” – Christine Anderson Patti is challenging us to pick one color and then select several photos featuring  just that color.  Starting with a large subject and then progress down in size by showing smaller and smaller examples.   Yellow is such a happy color that I decided to feature it.  As the sun came out from behind the rain clouds it ended up casting such a lovely yellow glow on everything it touched.  (This first picture was featured not too long ago in my post on Natural Light.) “How…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

May 8, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #146 Focusing on Details

“Photography is an art of observation.  It has little to do with the things we see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt This week Patti suggests we feature photos Focusing on Details.  I found a few images showing details that really seem to make the picture more interesting.  This first one was taken a few years ago in Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West, Florida.  This room is his writing studio where, it is said, he used the typewriter on the right to produce seventy percent of his works during the nine years he was in residence, 1931 – 1939.   Notice that there…

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

March 20, 2021

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #139 Special Moments

“It’s the special moments that keep you going and smiling, make you the person you are and give you a lifetime of memories.” – unknown With so many special moments over the years it was hard to limit it to a few pictures.  The birth of my children and marriage to my husband is at the top of the list.  ‘Aha moments’ also count as special moments; they capture my full attention, causing me to pause and savor the moment!  A few of these memorable moments are shown below. Could not resist showing this special moment as one son sorted through his easter basket and the other one waited patiently for…

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written by Sylvia - Posted in Animals, Birds, Kiawah Island SC, Landscape, LENS-ARTISTS, Photography, Red Knots