“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,…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #192 Earth Story
“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” – Einstein This week Amy selected Earth Story as our photo challenge theme. She says, “The natural world has many stories to tell. They are written on the ground, in the mountains and rivers, and on rocks and trees. Let’s share their stories through our lenses.” I decided to feature a few pictures which show different segments of the earth and our natural world and each with its own story to tell. Each picture can be enlarged by double clicking it. The header picture is flowers from a large orange tree in our yard. Right now the tree is…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: #190 Close and Closer
“In photography the smallest thing can be the greatest subject.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson This week it is suggested we take a closer look at the subjects we photograph. Look for interesting details, patterns, colors or unseen objects to show. This can be accomplished using a macro lens, zoom lens, by moving ourselves in closer or simply cropping. Note, these images can be enlarged by double clicking them. The banner shot shows different types of coral found on Caribbean reefs. And, the image below highlights a small area of the reef, revealing the detailed beauty in the various corals. This was taken at The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. This…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #186 Low Light
“Pictures taken in low light seem to convey a certain mood or feeling, perhaps more so than those taken in bright sunlight.” – Sylvia Bacon This week Sofia is challenging us to feature some of our low light images. Sunrise and sunset on Kiawah Island’s beach seldom fails to disappoint. At times the sky and its reflection on the ocean becomes so overwhelming when washed with brilliant colors. The header shot and the one below are two examples. “Get outside. Watch the sunrise. Watch the sunset. How does that make you feel? Does it make you feel big or tiny? Because there’s something good about feeling both.” – Amy…
Lens-Artists #184 Travel Has Taught Me…
“I am not the same,having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world” – Mary Anne Radmacher Over the years my husband and I have visited many countries around the world, meeting a lot of wonderful people along the way. These trips taught me alot about people who live all over the world. I learned people everywhere are basically alike, we all share very similar values and desires. Family life is very important as well as social friendships, religious beliefs also play a big role in many cultures. Travel also taught me that complete strangers are generally very kind and helpful. It does not matter whether we speak…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #183 Memorable Events
“When memorable events are remembered, they bring a smile to our faces.” – Sylvia Bacon This week we are asked to share a few favorite memorable events. Looking back through my pictures, I decided to start off by featuring pictures from a couple of trips when visiting close friends. When looking at these pictures again, it was nice to relive the fun we all had plus the wonderful sights and things we did. The banner picture shows the Cloud Gate sculpture, affectionally known as The Bean. It is the centerpiece in Millennium Park in Chicago. The picture below was taken at Niagara Falls, from the Canadian side of the border…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #182 Interesting Objects
It is amazing how many interesting sights are around us once we start looking for them. This week Patti suggests we share a few things we have seen when walking through a city, the country, a museum, or a beach. Something different that catches our eye. This banner shot was taken a few years ago when visiting a botanical garden in Canada. These artistic metal flowers among the other plants added a lot of color and interest. And, below is a popular ice cream shop in Maine which is known for their long list of delicious ice creams plus humorous signs around the property. The picture of the cow and…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #180 Highlights from 2021
“There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet.” – William Frederick Halsey, Jr. 2021 was such a challenging year for so many; hopefully everyone one got through it ok and became a wiser and stronger person. I would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy Year in 2022. Tina suggested we show our favorite pictures from 2021. When looking through my pictures I was surprised as to how many I found. The opening picture shows a pair of Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) which were featured in an April post, entitled Taking Flight. The next two images are from a…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #178 Holiday Lights
“We didn’t realize we were making memories; we just knew we were having fun.” – unknown I always enjoy the sights and sounds surrounding the Christmas holidays and especially the time spent with family and friends. Christmas music everywhere, Christmas cards, buying gifts, wrapping presents, decorating the house, the smell of the tree and other evergreens throughout the house, all leading up to the big day. Since Tina is giving us our choice of topics this week, I decided to share a few pictures of holiday decorations. (Each of these images can be enlarged by double clicking it.) For years, during the Christmas holiday my husband and I would spend…
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #173: Interesting Architecture
“As an architect you design for the present with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.” – Norman Foster Interesting, beautiful architecture can be seen most anywhere people live, especially in cities and towns. It is visual art that is hard to ignore. I always enjoy photographing interesting looking buildings. I selected a few favorites pictures from within the United States – Maine, Boston and Chicago. This Gothic-inspired architectural house has won the distinction as the most photographed house in Maine. It is known as the Wedding Cake House since George W. Bourne (a prominent 19th-century shipbuilder) built it for his new bride in 1825. …