Animals

Lens-Artists Challenge #318 – Finding Beauty in Unexpected Places

/ Leya / 38 kommentarer

Patti is challenging us with a very important thing – to find beauty where we might not immediately think we could. Because, there is beauty everywhere if we just look for it! Please visit Patti’s inspiring post for more!

This is Highgate, London. Below the massive growth of ivy, this beautiful statue of a resting woman had just been rediscovered when we visited in 2014. We admired every detail – the artist made her look so real, just sleeping -about to wake up any minute.

In Tblisi, Georgia, 2019, most buildings and open places were dilapidated or worn down. Walking past this yard, I was really taken by the shadow and reflections, the tranquility, and the lovely cat.

More Tblisi. After a climb up one of the hills, three resting beauties awaited us in this yard. So calm and relaxed as only cats can be in the sun, they even let me take some photos.

A burnt down house lent some of its books to a beautiful photo. (An exhibition by Helene Schmitz) I often find great beauty in old and worn things, but these books sent an ache in my heart. Books should never be thrown away or burnt. This artist really found a way to make the disaster in her own home into something beautiful.

Finally, a stinging nettle in evening light – a dangerous beauty!

A special thanks to Tina, who invited us to explore our neighborhoods last week. Thanks for sharing your “world” with us. Next week it’s my turn, Leya, to lead. Until then, be safe, stay curious, and be kind!

I hope you will join this challenge – as we search for beauty in surprising and unexpected places. Beauty is seen in a wider context–beyond the typical. For an added challenge, Patti suggests us to come up with a surprise – something that you find beautiful but other people might not. Show us your beautiful and unexpected finds and tell us where you discovered them. Be sure
to link to Patti’s original post and include the “lens-artists” tag so we can enjoy your images.

Lens-Artists Challenge #310 – Zigzag

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

We are back again – and a big thank you to all our guest hosts! Patti is hosting this week, and the topic is Zigzag. Let’s start with my favourite – Danish architecture – and more.

If you go looking for it, natural zigzag can also be interesting…

Beautiful European adder met on the path some years ago while hiking. I have never seen it rise like this one did – and we backed off…

Winter snow bending the straws in elegant zigzag.

In a Narnia Park, we found the broken stone table from the story of Narnia and Aslan by C.S.Lewis.

The sand dunes of the Sahara desert made me think of a soft zigzag pattern.

A walk in Porto is a great joy!

These are all from Tblisi, Georgia – a lot of zigzaging there. Buildings, construction sites and staircases. And fountains!

Have fun with the challenge and we are so looking forward to seeing your choices. Be sure your post includes the “Lens-Artists” tag and a link to Patti’s challenge post.

Next week, I, Ann-Christine, will take the lead for LAC #311, so be sure to visit next Saturday. Until then, stay safe, be curious, and be inspired!

Thursday Thoughts – Hachikō

/ Leya / 32 kommentarer

Everyone who once has owned the friendship of a dog, will love the story of Hachikō – Japan’s most famous dog.

Hachikō was an Akita-inu, born in 1923. He followed his master to the Shibuya station in Tokyo every day and met him there every night when he returned.

But one day, professor Ueno suddenly died and never came back. Hachikō waited for almost ten years for his master, sitting at the same place outside the station. Many people cared for him and helped him, so…

…his story got wings and travelled around the world, even to Sweden. As a child I read about him and was very moved by his faithfulness. At home we always had both cats and dogs, so my heart was aching for his fate.

In 1934, his statue was unveiled, and Hachikō himself was present too. Today there is always a long queue to his statue – young and old – everyone wants a photo with him by their side. Even if it is heavily raining…The station gate and exit wear his name and on the wall there are several Akita-inu dogs portrayed.

This was one of my must-see places in Tokyo.

The whole story of the faithful Hachikō is here.

Lens-Artists Challenge #302 – AI and Photography

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

The question for today is to what extent AI makes the work something other than photography and at what point should it be identified as such. John is our eminent host. I encourage you to take a look at his site and give the question of AI some thought. He takes a thorough look at it. We are there, and if we listen to the experts – we cannot go back from it. We don’t have to use it though… but do you think it is ”photography”?

Personally I edit my pictures with a light touch – when I edit. I have changed skies, but that is when I work with scanned pictures I cannot make better. And, I write it when I have. Before this post, I had never written a prompt for a totally new picture – To me, this is a different kind of art, fun to try, but I don’t think I will ever do anything but playing with it. So, here we go! I will try the WP AI, as I was so inspired by Donna, and because with WP, we can all try it, even if PS or Lightroom is not an option on our computer. Use the right bar!

My first try was, like Donna’s, to use my blogname. I wrote ”A Lagotto Romagnolo and Cattleyas”. I was not at all happy with that one, and changed it to ” A brown lagotto running in a field of cattleya orchids” That picture is in the opener. The orchids are not cattleyas, but AI could produce a reasonable picture of a Lagotto Romagnolo. Milo is nodding too.

For the second picture I wrote ”A Geisha in a Japanese temple”. For both pictures I tried 7-8 different suggestions.

For the third one, I wrote ”Tokyo Sky Tree”. This option I liked the best, but none of them met my expectations. It was an interesting lesson though.

My last try was a macro, and I found this one acceptable. WP’s AI is not good at making the picture feel real, but I saw Sofia’s Firefly play – and they were really really good! My biggest fear is not being able to tell what is real or AI. In fact, today I am more careful with pressing ”like” or adding a heart on instagram – there are too many AI generated pictures. In that perspective, WP is better – those are undoubtably AI… I strongly believe that if the major part of the picture is changed with AI, the photographer should say that in the text, and if the whole picture is AI generated, it is a must. Then it is no longer a photo.

For John’s question about the peninsula picture – the second one shows very strange waves, so, that might be the AI?

Thank you, Sofia, for last weeks floral enchantments, and the chance for me to feature the Japanese Wisteria garden!

Donna will host the challenge next week, go to her inspitational site and see what she is up to! If you’d like to participate in the challenge responses each week but aren’t sure how to get started, check here.

Thursday Thoughts – Cruising

/ Leya / 26 kommentarer

We left a sunny Seattle and sailed north to Ketchikan. A town with only 8000 inhabitants, but

– The Salmon Capital of the World.

And indeed we saw salmon…lots of salmon. The river was teeming with life, but fishing bears were not in sight, in fact that tour was cancelled due to heavy fog.

Instead we watched seals catching salmon when we walked along the charming Creek Streat.

The lovely old bus was a must photo.

And, of course we left the harbour in sunshine – we hadn’t seen a single ray earlier that day.

Lens-Artists Challenge #269 – On the Edge

/ Leya / 34 kommentarer

Patti says this week we’re exploring “the edges.” What have we captured “On the Edge” of buildings, cliffs, beaches, shelves, or any kind of edge we can think of. An interesting challenge open for many interpretations.

In the header, I have put Icelandic rocks and a weasel(?) on one of the edges.

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center.

– Kurt Vonnegut

Switzerland and my garden – varied things and creatures on the edge.

We live at the edge of the miraculous.

– Henry Miller

Alaskan rainforest and a small tent covering a First Nation family. On the edge of society.

Life and death are balanced on the edge of a razor.

– Homer

My hands and camera on the edge of a precipice – of books!

‘Tis the sharpness of our mind that gives the edge to our pains and pleasures.

– Michel de Montaigne

Climbing on the edge of a cactus, but also on the edge of extinction. Galapagos Islands.

A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use.

– Washington Irving

Morocco, walking the edges of Sahara dunes.

Sooner or later we will come to the edge of all that we can control and find life, waiting there for us.

– Rachel Naomi Remen

Thank you Tina for a marvelous challenge last week, and thank you Patti for this week’s intriguing theme. Please visit her site for magical inpiration and put the Lens-Artist’s tag on before linking it to Patti’s post.

Next Saturday I, Leya/Ann-Christine, will be your host, and the theme is On Display.

Thursday Thoughts – At Sea

/ Leya / 13 kommentarer

I am back, happy, terribly jetlagged and tired, but sending views from Alaskan waters, the Inner Passage.

We had very varied skies and waters, and beautiful views whenever and wherever we went. Much rain, but with the right gear – no problem. And as we come from Sweden, we were prepared.

Silent and deep blue early mornings – clouds hovering over the white mountain tops. I cannot say how much I loved those mornings.

I had expected more birds, but my last sail was in warmer waters in the Galapagos Islands. Here the colours shifted several times a day – every shade of blue and green.

Seals and sealions were frequent, sometimes waving at us, making me smile every time.

Snowcapped mountains are always favourites, even in rain.

We decided not to take any whale tour, much because we have seen them several times in Iceland, so close and even touching the boats. In the Alaskan seas we saw these impressive creatures every day anyway – orcas and humpbacks. Not that close to the ship though, but they were two or three together every time.

Sunsets and sunrises – we were lucky enough to get one of each – that we could see.

It was an adventure with new sights every day and then some great land excursions too. I brought my father’s jacket and left it there with a note inside. He always wanted to go to Alaska and Canada – his best friend from his youth emigrated to Canada, and they kept calling each other till the end. But my father never got to Canada – or Alaska – though. So, I left a piece of ”him”, together with his story. It felt good. I hope he knew.