Tankar

Lens-Artists Challenge #287 – Sound

/ Leya / 49 kommentarer

Donna is our lovely guide this week, and she asks us for pictures that could show, or make you think of – sound. Personally, the sounds I love the most are natural sounds, from the wind in the forest or birds in the trees, the rustling of autumn leaves at my feet. And silence in between.

Listen to the sound of silence.

– Paul Simon


I don’t know about you, but, music is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear or see the word sound.

Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.

– Plato

Imagine how many different sounds of music there are in this world! So many different instruments and traditions, melodies for feast and celebration – for dancing

or jubilation for a winning game, an exam or graduation.

Did you know that at least 70% of all communication is nonverbal and that body language is a major part of this? Surely you can ”hear” what our concierge was saying?

There’s many ways you communicate. With colour, texture, sound… Even words can communicate.

– David Carson

The sound of water is worth more than all the poets’ words.

– Octavio Paz

I guess many of us has a special love for this sound, be it the rough sea or slow waves, a raging river or a trickling, merry brook. Our souls are connected, because life was born in water, and we have all rested softly in our mother’s womb.

Personally, I will be on the road for a week now, but will try to keep up the reading and answering. Please remember to link to Donna’s post and use the Lens – Artists tag so we can all find you. 

A big thank you to Anne for last week’s inspiring theme weather. In fact you showed us there were weather I had never thought or heard of…

Next week, we are excited to announce Ritva. She will host her first official challenge for the Lens-Artists, so don’t miss her inspirational site! Until then – keep warm and be kind.


Thursday Thoughts – Van Gogh Alive

/ Leya / 38 kommentarer

If you haven’t seen this exhibition, I do recommend you to go! I guess it has been shown in a great many countries by now – and finally here in Malmoe too.

Vincent Van Gogh has always fascinated me, his paintings as well as his grim fate. This digital exhibition is a wonder in both pictures and music. We stayed for hours, walking, sitting, being totally soaked up in his world. I also liked very much the concept of people getting portrayed as silhouettes against his works. An inspirational evening indeed.

If you happen to have this exhibition in your city, please go and see it – being immersed in beautiful images to enchanting music – what more can you ask for?

Lens-Artists Challenge #286 – Weather

/ Leya / 59 kommentarer

Anne is our lovely host this week, and she asks us about the various types of weather conditions in which we photographers go out and shoot.

Well, we all look for nice weather, but what is your favourite weather to photograph in? Sunny, blue skies, white puffy clouds, or…?

I thought I would start with our weather conditions right now, today. Snow storm and rain storm this weekend…so, my camera and I are staying indoors. But some snapshots through the window will show you what it looks like.

The poor birds are sitting close to the walls in trees and bushes, shaking their feathers now and then, and snatching a nut or a sunflower seed when the gusts are not too bad… The feeder is on the top right in the gallery, and there is a blackbird sitting to the left in the same picture.

The ”real” winter is easier to photograph. Some winters are green and some are white – and terribly cold. The above gallery shows all stages of this. My problems with winter shooting starts with the cold – I have very sensitive fingers that will turn white and aching and finally stop working at a few degrees minus – and wind.

I agree with Anne – a favourite weather is fog or mist. I love the mood it creates, especially in early mornings, and I also love going out right after a summer shower has sprayed the leaves. Whenever there is morning dew – I rush to get my camera!

When storm or thunder is approaching, the clouds can be dramatical and calling for a camera, but I avoid going out in the rain. Even if my cameras nowadays are water sealed, I still avoid it – unless I can stand with some kind of roof over my head.

Finally, an anomaly in Sweden, but I went out to see it – a sandstorm from Sahara –

– in October 2017. Sand covered the sun and made the sky and everything else orange.

Do you enjoy taking your camera out in all types of weather? Whether or not you do, I’m sure you have some enjoyable images to show us. I did not have any pictures of Anne’s Wethers, but maybe you do! When you respond to this challenge, please link to Anne’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find you in the reader.

Last week Egidio asked us to show how warm colors can affect our images and feelings. I really enjoyed seeing all your amazing responses. So much warmth there is in this world, despite everything! But that is one of our main purposes in blogging, isn’t it – to share some warmth. Now, try to enjoy your weather whatever it is like! Embrace the differences and seasons if you have them. 

Next week Donna will be challenging us, so be sure to visit her inspiring site for more.

Thursday Thoughts – Winter Birds

/ Leya / 38 kommentarer

Some of my winter guests every year, photographed through my window. Of course Robin is my absolute favourite – and I have two of them. They eat on different sides of the house, this one outside my room and the other one outside my kitchen window. Fighters they are, so better stay apart…

Every year in January there is a national bird count, and everyone who has a feeder or a garden can participate and count their birds during three days and then report the results. For the last ten years the birds have been declining and some species are not here anymore. This is a fact all over the world. But, it is interesting to participate and follow your own reports as well as from the whole country over the years. Some years there is an invasion of a certain species, and this year we had a massive invasion of the Common Redpoll all over the Sweden.

Lens-Artists Challenge #285 – Warm Colours

/ Leya / 57 kommentarer

I am surrounded by colours, especially warm colours, and that is the way I want it. It keeps me going and makes me warm at heart as well.

Colors are the smiles of nature.

– Leigh Hunt

In my garden, there are many colours, and I love to stick my head (and lens) in the multitude of blooms during summer. That is just what I did in the header photo…

This week Egidio starts by inviting us to look at our photos or capture new images showing how warm colors appear in our world and their emotional significance to us.

Down to the tiniest plant and fruit, their colours make me smile. This sensual spindle fruit makes me think of Love.

And, talking about love, my furry dogs have all been wearing warm colours. I constantly need to touch their softness and feel their warm breath in my face. Here’s Milo – unconditional love in warm chocolate brown.

What more do we need? Well, food is mostly wearing warm colours – have you ever thought about that? And how we love to have dinner at warm candle light. It makes us relax and enjoy both food, drink and company.

Autumn might not be the warmest season, but by far its colours are, so the last fiery goodbye to summer is – a warm hug. And at least here in the Scandinavian countries, this is much needed to make us stronger when winter darkness holds us in a tight grip.

To me, buildings feel more inviting in yellow and red than in any other colours. If you visit Denmark, for example, you will find many yellow and red houses, and that goes for Spain too. I think they emanate warm and welcoming vibes.

What about whole countries? Morocco is a hot country in warm colours – in their interior design as well. This furniture and these saturated colours might be a bit too much for us in an ordinary Swedish room, but in their ”right” place they are perfect.

Finally, a heavenly sunrise and a display a soft, fluffy, warm and lovely scenery outside the plane window – (even if we know how cold it is out there…)

But for my very last choice, we will return to Mother Earth and an unforgettable sunset on sand and sea. Love was in the air and in the golden waves…

Sofia challenged us to think about day and night for last week’s challenge. You responded with so many wonderful interpretations with great variety and creativity! Please join us next week too when Anne introduces a new challenge.

So, a big thank you to Egidio for this week’s wonderful theme! If you join us, please use the hashtag “lens-artists” in your post and link it to Egidio’s original post. That helps all viewers to easily find you in the reader. This page has more information about the Lens-Artists Challenges.

Lens-Artists Challenge #284 – Day and Night

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

Sofia says that having passed the Winter Equinox, it’s time for the days to grow longer, and to leave the never-ending nights behind us. But before we do that, she invites us to celebrate this Yin/Yang of our everyday life. Please visit her inspirational site for more!

I will concentrate on some special aspects of this, that interest me. Night and day can be so different… not only opposites. I agree with Walt Whitman:

To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.

Let’s start with a winter’s morning at home –

– it can be both colourful and cold. And the coldest time is at sunrise. That is when I go out to feed the birds so they can better withstand the cold and survive another day.

Then I walk my dog at noon while the winter sun can barely be seen above the trees.

But only a month later, the daylight is more soft and golden – and it’s a joy to stroll along the river.

When we reach summer, the nights are soft and golden too – The light! How we constantly long for it to come back to us…

There are also big differences in days and nights depending for example on which country you are in. Where on the planet and in what season. Daylight can be extremely clear and transparent – in the fresh air of Iceland.


While nights can be almost totally dark, in the wilderness or in countries where electric light is not that much used. It is sad that we humans often want to lighten up our nights (unless it would be too dangerous not to…). Try not to! The eyes will adjust to the darkness, and it is no longer that dark…instead a new world opens up.

Nature is depending on day and night, light and darkness – for food, for security and for reproduction, among other things. This is a spring cherry tree in daylight, waiting for pollinators, and a night blooming cactus in my room. So, if we didn’t have daylight, there would be no cherries…and if we didn’t have our dark nights, this flower would never unfold. (Or, be pollinated by nocturnal insects.)

We also know, that our artificial lights are bad for many of the night living animals. It can mean the difference between life and death. Newborn turtles for example, head for the light, but that could mean into the city instead of out to the sea.

Thank you, Sofia, for the brilliant opportunity to look at different aspects of night and day! Please link your post to her original post and don’t forget to tag it with Lens-Artists.

I want to thank you for all your lovely poems and quotes last week – beautifully illustrated by You alone! They told us much more about you, and maybe more than you knew about yourself too… I loved every one of your thoughtful posts and learned to appreciate more poets and famous quotes than I had heard of too.

Next week, Egidio will be your host with ”Warm colours” Be sure to visit his spectacular site for inspiration! Until then, stay well and be kind.