Lens-Artists Challenge #53 – Your Choice

/ Leya
New Zealand is not a small country, but a large village – Peter Jackson

There is real purity in New Zealand…It’s actually not an easy thing to find in our world anymore – Elijah Wood

Today is a very special day for us here at Lens-Artists – the one year anniversary of our Challenge. While we were all initially saddened by the discontinuation of the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, for us it became an opportunity to expand our blogging horizons and to create some amazing new friendships.

I feel that New Zealand is my second home.  – Luke Evans

On our end, we have transitioned from four independent photography bloggers to a tightly-knit team that supports, encourages and helps each other as we develop and create our weekly challenges. We’ve also been fortunate to have expanded our follower base thanks to bloggers like you who support and inspire us.

Toitū te whenua (Leave the land undisturbed).

As a result, our challenge has become near and dear to each of our hearts. We’ve gone well beyond being individual members of a team and have become four good friends.  We are tremendously thankful to you for your appreciation of our efforts; and for making us smile or feel touched by your responses.  As our thank you for your support and encouragement, we’re suggesting that you respond to today’s challenge with any subject that’s near and dear to YOUR hearts, as we’ve done with our images today. If you’d prefer some guidance, choose any of the four subjects we’ve selected this week (Friendship, A country that’s special to you, Imagination and Connected).

We are a proud nation of more than 200 ethnicities, 160 languages, and amongst that diversity we share common values. – Jacinda Ardern

Each of us has included several captures that are special to us in some way.

Mine are from a country and people that occupies a special place in my heart – New Zealand. Aotearoa is the Māori name – and the most popular meaning usually given is the ”land of the long white cloud”. A strikingly diverse Nature,  warm-hearted People with strong Environmental care and – an insane sense of humour! It is also the country in which JRR Tolkien’s characters so naturally belong. New Zealand opened its arms to me – and I immediately felt at home there.  I would never have guessed that our blogging community could feel like ”home” too – but it does. It is a privilege to host this challenge once a month.

I’ve learned that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.
― Cecelia Ahern

Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for making this such a terrific experience. If you have a subject that you feel might inspire us, please feel free to suggest it – we’d love to hear from you.  Should you be new to our challenge and interested in joining us, please click here and be sure to include the Lens-Artists TAG so we can all find you. Happy Blogging to all of our loyal followers and friends, and Happy Anniversary to us!

Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua

(As man disappears from sight, the land remains) This demonstrates the holistic values of the Maori, and the utmost respect of Papatuanuku, Mother Earth.

 

Have you seen these

Each week on Lens-Artists, we highlight several responses from among our followers. This special week we’d like to thank ALL of our followers for their thoughtful, funny, often-feisty and always wonderful posts. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and will continue to join us as we move into year two of the Lens-Artists Challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

139 reaktioner på ”Lens-Artists Challenge #53 – Your Choice”

  1. Pingback: Clouds in my sky: LAPC - bend branches

  2. Pingback: Lens-Artists Challenge #133 – My Photography Journey | Leya

    • We are, aren’t we! I am very grateful to belong to this blogosphere – even if I would have liked to read more and participate more! Hosting brought some more work – but is very rewarding as well I think. Sorry I haven’t been with you now – I will manage more after summer vacations I hope!

      Svara

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  7. Your photos and words are so heart-warming. The way you welcome and encourage others is a gift. Thank you for all you do to keep the challenges going!

    Svara

  10. Pingback: Lens Artists Photo Challenge #53: Friendship, Imagination, Country, and Connected | The World Is A Book...

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  12. Pingback: Thank You For The Inspiration, Ladies! – Ana Linden

  13. Happy Anniversary, Ann-Christine! Thank you for helping host the Lens-Artists Challenge and for sharing all those beautiful photos from your travels, as well as closer to home. What the four of you have created here is wonderful!

    Svara

  14. Pingback: Lens Artist Challenge – Small Yet Mighty – Blog of Hammad Rais

  15. Many congratulations on you, Patti, Tina and Amy on Lens-Artists’s first anniversary. The very collaboration of yours certainly have opened new doors for WordPress community to not only share part of the world we live in, but also what we dream and cherish about.
    Which is a big feat, I say 🙂

    Svara

    • Hammad, thank you for lovely words and joining us with lovely work from your part of the world! So glad to contribute to our WP community!

      Svara

  16. Pingback: Lens-Artists Challenge #53 – Imagination with Friends in Lisboa – Jedi by Knight

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  22. I love everything that I hear and see about this country. And I love your presentation.

    Congratulations to all four of you for the first birthday of your splendid challenge. It has given me pleasure to participate (almost) every week. Much love and to many more years!

    Svara

  25. Pingback: Lens-Artist-PC-53-My-Choice – WoollyMuses

  26. Pingback: lens-artist photo challenge your choice sunset – photo roberts blog

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  30. Pingback: Lens-Artist Anniversary | Anvica's gallery

    • Thank you, Ana, for this beautiful gallery – I will have to come back to you when I am back in Sweden again! Commenting does not really work from here😐

      Svara

  31. Pingback: Lens-Artists Weekly Challenge #53– Water – Jez Braithwaite

    • Dear Mandy, blogging has brought much joy and many new friends. This challenge brought new experiences as well. But a great deal more computer time…

      Svara

  33. I know New Zealand is beautiful and it will be one of the two places (the other one is Norway) we are going next. Thank you for the beautiful share, Ann-Christine. Happy anniversary to you and your team. 🙂

    Svara

  34. Pingback: Imagined journey – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #53 – Your Choice | Pictures without film.

  35. Your first and last images are my favourites. They bring back memories of our time at the Hobbit Movie set and also at Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Maori Village last October.. I have visited NZ three times now, although must confess visit number two was a weekend engagement party also last year. After our October visit and road trip around part of the North Island the rest of New Zealand is on our radar. 🙂

    Svara

  38. Pingback: Lens-Artists Challenge #53 – Friendship, Country, Imagination, Connection | John's Space …..

  40. Kia ora, Ann-Christine: I absolutely love and adore Aotearoa 🇳🇿. Thanks for allowing me to participate in the LAPC, and I hope all of your efforts continue and be met with great success. 👍🏽

    Svara

  42. Pingback: Inspiration from Denmark & Sweden (& Iceland) | Elizabatz Gallery

  43. How could I not love these beautiful images from my home. Happy anniversary Ann-Christine, Tina, Patti and Amy — and thank you for creating and sustaining this challenge.

    Svara

    • Thank you, Su! And thank you for participating! It is a pleasure to us all – and your country will always occupy that special place in my heart.

      Svara

  44. I, too, think your post is beautifully connected with our anniversary theme, AC! I always admire your creative thinking, writing, and photography. It’s wonderful to travel with you and get to know places and things you’ve enjoyed. Thank you for your support and friendship!

    Svara

  46. Pingback: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: I Choose Steve | scillagrace

  48. A-C, love the subject for this week … and thank you for keeping this ”game” alive and on track. Looking forward to the second year. *smile
    I wish I had a chance to see more of New Zealand. I loved everything about what I was able to see and meet. There is something very special … about New Zealand and it’s people.
    Lovely post.

    Svara

  49. I am someone who enjoys the opportunity to show everyone my little part of this wonderful world. I am glad we now have a new Fab Four to inspire, test our imagination and provide an outlet for what we love to do – take photographs.
    I do so love all of your photos as usual
    I hope you, Amy, Tina and Patti have the strength to continue. Your efforts are much appreciated
    Much love
    Brian xxxx

    Svara

  50. A-C, my husband and I have seen much of the world and had many wonderful journeys but both agree NZ is an all-time favorite. It’s gorgeous, the people are warm and friendly and it offers as many natural wonders as countries of much larger size. We thought it must be what the US was like 50 years ago. I love the way you connected the subject to our challenge and of course your terrific images. Happy anniversary to us! It’s been a joy to partner with you.

    Svara

  51. Pingback: lens-artists challenge #53 – your choice | myguiltypleasures

  52. Pingback: Smørrebrød: the Famous Open-Faced Sandwiches of Denmark | Albatz Travel Adventures

  53. Happy first anniversary to all the lens-artist team. It has been great following and contributing to your challenges over the last year (where has the time gone?!). Thank you so much for hosting and being so inspirational. New Zealand is somewhere that has always intrigued me – maybe one day I will get to visit.

    Svara

  55. Pingback: Lens-Artists Challenge #53 – Your Choice – bushboys world

  56. Congrats on the one year and this challenge was needed – 😉
    And love he landscapes here – and the leave the land undisturbed – nice message

    Svara

  57. The beauty of your photos often leaves me speechless, Ann-Christine, but it’s the warm humanity behind them that speaks to me loudest. Thank you so much for the time and energy you bring to this challenge. It’s very special. 🙂 🙂

    Svara

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