Tina has chosen a lovely challenge this week – with children around the world. The very thought of it makes me smile, as I will focus on the happy children and youngsters I have met during my travels – and of course my little grandchild, Myra.
The soul is healed by being with children. ― Fyodor Dostoevsky
From start to finish these images were caught in Nice, Bhutan, Prague, Japan, Iceland and Sweden. The last image too is from Japan and the Golden Week Wisteria festival.
To be young again…to feel the warmth of a mother’s or father’s care – or from a teddy bear – to test your strength in games and play, to dress up and feel beautiful, to sing and dance and get applause, to be carefree, enjoy endless freedom, joy and love.
I also strongly believe that children and animals, if possible, should grow up together. Multiple scientific studies show that pets can have a positive impact on a child’s overall development and well-being.
Pets help teaching responsibility, enhance social skills and verbal skills. They build empathy and offer emotional support, and last but not least – they promote physical health.
I look forward to seeing your creative responses! Please remember to link them to Tina’s original post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to those who responded to Egidio’s “Music to my Ears” challenge. I have still got to visit more of your answers – but I only came home yesterday from our trip to Japan, and feel a bit jet-lagged… I really enjoyed what I have seen so far, and many songs I knew nothing about, so I learned new things again. (Blogging is learning!)
I hope you’ll join us next week too, when Patti leads us once again on her wonderful Pilotfish blog. Until then please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Egidio is leading a challenge made for real music lovers this week – and I have chosen two of the most loved songs in my book, Morning Has Broken and What a Wonderful World. Be sure to visit his beautiful site for more inspiration. And, if you are participating, please link to the original post and add the Lens-Artist tag.
Morning Has Broken – is a Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and was inspired by the village of Alfriston in East Sussex, then set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune, ”Bunessan”. Cat Stevens made it popular all over the world. This song I consider to be one of the most beautiful ones ever written. My children know I want it for my funeral. In Cat Steven’s interpretation.
What a Wonderful World – was written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but in the United States the president of ABC Records disliked the song and refused to promote it.
After it was heard in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, it rose to number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Armstrong’s recording was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
Louis Armstrong – I always hear his grainy, harsh voice whenever I feel overwhelmed by nature, grand landscapes and its beauty, silence and serenity. His voice is the perfect choice for every moment…
It is a wonderful world in every detail…
big or small…
from the tiniest dew drop …
to the abundance in flowers…
colours…
and animals. And everything and everyone new to the world is soft…
fragrant…
and wonderfully fresh.
My Swedish favourites I had to leave out…but I have some there too of course. Songs from our own language are special, and like all other lyrical texts, cannot be translated properly with their original feeling. In the Scandinavian countries you often find a melancholical touch with music written in a minor key. Music for magical summer nights and autumn colours.
Last week we had Ritva making us post abstract photos – and it was really an eye-opener on how many abstracts we really make! Thank you for a great challenge!
Next week it is Tina’s turn to host, be sure to visit her magical site for more inspiration. Until then – stay calm and be kind.
Ritva challenges us this week to think abstract. Abstract photography breaks the normal rules of realism. She explains that it focuses on the shapes, colors, textures, and patterns of the subject rather than its literal representation. Please visit her extraordianry site for more inspiration and examples!
Abstract, sometimes reality is just as abstract – this tree in Bhutan surely has an abstract quality.
Art has a voice – let it speak” ― Rochelle Carr
A gallery from the archives tells me I do like abstract…or non figurative. I think we all do, but maybe we just don’t think of our photos as abstract. We fall in love with certain qualities of the place or thing or anything that makes us create a photograph, be it abstract or not.
Techniques – and luck – used in the gallery are close-up, double exposure, collage, reflections, steam and light play.
There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
– Pablo Picasso
The gallery above was made with ICM on a walk in the surroundings of my old school last week.
To participate in this challenge, link to or leave a comment on the host’s original challenge post and please use the #Lens-Artists tag so we can easily find you in the Reader.
And if you want even more information on the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.
Last week Donna’s wonderful post invited us to rock, and what beautiful rocks and places we got to visit! Next week Egídio is hosting, I am sure his theme and beautiful photography will once again give us wonderful inspiration.
Until then, stay calm and wait for the next bus. I will be on the road for the next three weeks, but trying to stay in touch!
Donna leads this week, and she wants to know what rocks our world…. I would say Nature’s grand design rocks my world. And Earth Day is only 9 days away, so let’s Rock with Donna!
As a child my favourite things to do when I came home from school, was climbing trees and rocks. We used to pack something to drink, a couple of sandwiches and homemade buns, and then head out for adventures. My best friend would come along, and sometimes my cat too – well, that makes two of my best friends of course.
Those were happy days to remember, and sometimes I climb all the fences and brave the cows and horses up there just to find my old playgrounds again. Now those stones don’t look that huge anymore, but they are still impressive. The funny thing is, it was not easy to climb them then – but today I might not be able to climb them at all, for other reasons… Maybe they too remember though, if I gently touch them and put my ear to the sun warm surface and listen…
Geologists have a saying – rocks remember.
– Neil Armstrong
So, I will concentrate on some beautiful rocks I have met (- the soft way…).I do remember all of these with love, be they natural, manmade or who made!
The unforgettable Pancake Rocks, New Zealand, South Island. You could not climb them and were not allowed to either. But, they made a grand and very special landscape.
Shell or rock? This is New Zealand as well. There was a whole beach with beautiful stone formations – and it was allowed to climb and bring a picnic basket too.
The Moeraki (a place to sleep by day in Maori) Boulders, Otago, NZ. They may look small, but are up to 2-3 meters in diameter, and weigh several tonnes. Scientists say it took about 5 million years to create them. The rolling waves will wear them down in the end, but we can only guess how long that will take.
In Tibet – I wondered at many things, and one of them was about how many people must have walked these stones up to the Pothala Palace. They are manmade and laid – with love.
The Azores – stone fences are a great love of mine. In the Azores, the whole land was divided with stone fences ( – or Hydrangea hedges) . They witness of hard work and are often skillfully laid. In Sweden we have a multitude of these too, especially in the south part where I live. The ice left many stones to handle for the people who once settled here. Today it is forbidden by law to remove or change old stone fences.
In Iceland there are many lavafields, or Rhauns, both young and old. It is fascinating to know – and see – how our Earth constantly changes and new constructions form, and even new land. Surtsey island was formed in an eruption starting 1963, finishing in 1967.
We always return to Iceland, and went there in 1984 after the eruption of Krafla – when the ground was still hot. Walking through the old lavafields is both amazingly beautiful, difficult and sometimes dangerous. Often they are covered in moss and small bush vegetation, and there under…might be a bottomless pit in the lava stream.
If you are lucky, you can find amazing things like this one below. And in the blazing sun and heat among the rock formations, you easily imagine creatures from millions of years ago…
Iceland, Dimmuborghir lava field. Who made...?
Join us for the fun of sharing what Rocks YOUR World! We hope you will enjoy your quest, and remember to link to Donna’s original post, and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find you.
John made us think about Before and After last week – and what great answers we got, inspiration and eye openers. A learning post indeed.
Next week Ritva will join us again, be sure to visit her beautiful site for inspiration. If you are interested in knowing more about the Lens-Artists challenge, click here for more information.
John leads us this week, and wants us to share three or four favourite photos before and after editing. It is amazing what we can do with everything from cropping to AI! Maybe editing is not my favourite thing, but in order to be happy with our photos, I think most of us do something – like increasing light or cropping.
John’s challenge was just in time for my biggest photo project ever – scanning and editing our old slides. Trying to bring back the feeling I and my husband had when we took the shot is not easy. I have started with Greenland from 1982. I guess there are software better for this task than what I have, but I will use the tools I have available. Which also tells that these photos are not favourites, but works in progress…
I always start in LR. Here I raised the exposure and added a mask for brightening of some shadows, then I reduced noise and haze. I always reduce highlight and raise the white. Then it is time to remove spots – and the slides have MANY spots. So, I will not repeat this sentence for the rest of them. Unfortunately the sky could not be altered smoothly, so I left it the way it was.
LR again, exposure up and shadows. Then masking to adjust the darkest parts, and after that, some noise reduction. I also raised the texture a bit for the beauty of the mountains. The sky was not a happy one, nor was the greenish snow on top, so I tried a new sky to match the ground colours, and reducing the saturation of green.
Some of the slides – quite many in fact, has got a thin blue line somewhere in the picture. Raising the exposure also revealed how hopeless the look of little me is here. So I removed myself as well. (That would be a useful possibility in real life too…) Photoshop is better than Lightroom to remove things you don’t want in the picture. Then back to LR and a reduction of noise and saturation (or sometimes an increased saturation) of yellow, green, blue and orange.
This looked a rather gloomy valley, but was one of the pictures I was quite happy with after editing. Maybe because there was no need to do much. Highlights and shadows adjusted, I reduced the haze a bit and calibration of the colour blue to deepen the overall colours. In PS I changed the sky, which I think lifted the whole landscape.
Finally – I would be grateful for any tips and tricks from anyone who has edited old slides!
John asks us to feature three or four images in our gallery that we tweaked for whatever reason as well as the original image straight out of the camera.
Last week, Sofia challenged us with Water in Motion – a delightful theme for all of us, with varied and creative answers! Next week, Donna of https://windkisses.com/ will host the challenge. Please visit her lovely site for inspiration, and you can find more information here if you want to join the fun.
Sofia gives us a beautiful challenge this week – Water in Motion. Please visit her inspirational site for more information. I will borrow Sofia’s quote to start with… because it went straight to my heart.
There’s something about the water – that solitary kind of peaceful feeling. You’re on Earth but not quite. – John C. Reilly
Water is essential to life on Earth. I wish everybody would understand that, and work together to save it from the ongoing pollution and destruction. A simple thing like never throwing anything into the water that does not belong there, would help.
Water in Motion – yes, in many ways – and most of us find it intriguing to watch it and to listen to it – let’s start slowly the natural way…
The gentle murmuring of the levada water along the paths in Madeira. Natural Mindfulness.
And water invites birds and insects to dance, eat and thrive – which leads us humans to thrive as well. I miss the walks in Madeira, a favourite place for many years when we were younger.
The waves rolling in from the sea – a soothing and mindful sound too, even if I am not a real sea person. I believe you cannot be unless you were born or have spent much time close to the sea.
Water is of course moved by the sea living creatures too. In Alaska the seals and sea lions came up real close, catching their daily meal while stirring up water swirls.
Pattering rain against the window – that is a great sound! I can lie on my back in the glasshouse and listen to the rain while looking up at the sky – without getting wet! A privilege to be grateful for. I love to fall asleep to that sound.
When we were hiking in the Azores, 2007, we found this magical valley of nine streams, hidden in the forests of the island of Flores.
From slow streams and soft waves to explosive Geisers – a massive treat of water. This one was found in Iceland.
Another way of moving water is the warm haze rising from the hot Geiser, or from the ground.
More natural water from a singing stream in a Swedish spring forest. Soon we will be there!
Now we are arriving at the manmade waters in motion – irresistible for the little ones. And, in later years of increasing heat, also for grown-ups.
In Denmark we once visited a spectacular art exhibition in the old water tunnels below Copenhagen.
Finally – fountains spreading their Christmas glory.
This week we’re looking for Water in Motion, gentle or powerful, man-made or natural, the choice is yours. When you join us, please remember to link back to Sofia’s post and to tag Lens-Artists. Looking forward to seeing your finds!
Last week we had a wonderful challenge led by Tina, with fantastic photos of people from around the world. A truly inspiring theme!
Next week it is John’s turn to lead. Make sure you visit his site for another remarkable challenge, Saturday 6th April. Until then, take care and be kind.
Tina leads this week, with the theme People Here There and Everywhere. At first, I too was a bit lost…I don’t do portraits or people. But, if I can picture people at work or on festivities, I am OK with it. Sometimes I ask them, but that is only when I meet people of foreign cultures. Very foreign. They don’t get offended and sometimes they even like it.
Since I don’t have many people portraits, I am afraid I have posted all of these before. I hope you will enjoy them anyway.
This lovely man in Thimpu, Bhutan, let me take a couple of photos of him – but when I showed him the results, he did not want to keep the close-ups… Some children where playing by the road, so I asked them what the old man was saying. They told me he thought his nose was too big! In Ecuador, the people were so lovely and smiling. Maybe because it was festival times? These beautiful ladies were singing and dancing in the street in Quito, Ecuador. We also met Miss Quito and her partner, who didn’t mind having their photo taken – we were many tourists with our cameras up in the air. My husband of course photographed the lovely lady…and as you can see, the young man gave me a nice smile.
Our main goals in Ecuador was Galapagos, the Napo River and the Amazon basin – and Fausto was our favourite guide. He was born and raised in the jungle, and knew everything about living here. Hunting, tracking, making fire, cooking food. On instagram I found him with a big anaconda around his neck…
From South America to Morocco and the market in Marrakesh – Djeema el Fna. It is one of the oldest markets in the world. Many people, many faces. An overwhelming and unforgettable experience.
Back in Europe and Lodz, Poland. She came walking down the street, and I immediately loved everything about her. The clothes, the colours, the ring on her left hand – you could see that she once was a beauty. I think she still was. When I looked at the photo afterwards, I saw the shadow in the street on her right side – is it her left, fallen off, piece of the sunglasses?
Knitting ladies in a market in Lhasa, and debating monks at the Sera Monastery. Tibetans doing their daily chores. The ladies were happy to show me their knitting technique and I showed them mine. The monks, I think, debated heavily just to show off for the tourists…
The best thing is when the pictures tell a story – so above I have presented a mixed gallery from some of my China travels. Chinese people seen on an ordinary walk – dancing, posing, playing, eating and getting married. And red is the festive colour. I was greatly impressed by the many outdoor activities, and so many elderly people playing and dancing! Very active and agile. I wish we could be like that in Sweden too. Dancing in the park every day – wouldn’t that be great?
This last gallery tells a multitude of stories – the big story of the pilgrimage and the end of a long, strenous walk to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Happy and exhausted they rest, alone, but together – each one with his or her own story as a piece of the big puzzle. I loved listening to those stories, and most people willingly shared them with us. I still dream of doing that walk…for peace in mind, body and soul.
Back in Sweden again, a silhouette of one of my best friends, a late summer evening by the lake.
So this week, our challenge is to share images of people we’ve captured along the way. Remember to link your responses to Tina’s original post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag.
Sincere thanks to all of our followers for joining us, and to Patti for last week’s wonderful Cityscape challenge. We all got an amazing world tour through your responses! Next week Sofia leads us once again on her beautiful Photographias site. Until then please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
This week, it is Patti’s turn to lead us – and she has chosen Cityscapes.
Being a country girl, I always fear these themes. Even if I have visited many cities, I mostly photograph their gardens and parks, art and architecture – details. As my latest visit was to Nice – I will try with something more from that visit. It was a city in change.
Nice is not just a place, it’s a feeling.
– Unknown
In 2022 Nice was voted the greenest city in France, with 50% of its surface covered by wooded areas. The reclaiming of greenery from concrete has its goal set to one tree for every inhabitant by 2026, and then the green area will be 20 ha. The carnival was held at the beginning of the green ”river” of reclaimed land, and we saw some really big buildings being teared down for this ambitious ecological plan.
The city overviews were taken from Castle Hill. And the two smiling girls were carnival guides – who handed out some welcoming acacia twigs to every guest. I found Nice to be a very smiling and friendly city.
If you have been to Nice, I am sure you have walked Promenade des Anglais along Baie des Anges. Everybody does. Maybe not all 7 kilometers, but a fair bit.
At the end of the 18th century, many Englishmen started spending their winters in Nice, and 1820 was an especially cold winter. Many beggars tried their luck in Nice, and some of the rich Englishmen suggested they could earn their living by building a promenade along the sea. The idea of ”Promenade des Anglais” was born.
When the French celebrated their National Day here on July 14, 2016, there was a terrorist attack where hundreds of people were injured and 86 people lost their lives. This week we learned that Navalnyj had just died in a Siberian Gulag, and people showed their grief, sympathy and protest in flowers, candles, texts and photos on the monument of the attack.
The beautiful olive tree, by Laurent Bioso, in Old town Nice – an image of strength and resilience.
The glass construction of the railway station involved cranes and workers all over the place, and was contrasting their green ecological plan with trees, parks and wooden playgrounds.
Finally – we had some delicious food! Excellent restaurants and lovely personnel – here are two of the best!
Nice is proving that heaven is a place on earth. But with better cuisine.
– Unknown
At the outskirts of the city, in St Jean-Cap-Ferrat, we had the most delicious ice-cream I have ever tasted…but sooo expensive. We could have bought a whole dinner for that money. But…….
In Nice, every day is a new adventure waiting to happen. – Unknown
Surprisingly, we found Sir Winston Churchill standing at his easel in the harbour, carefully painting the beautiful scenery. The artist, Paul Rafferty, wanted the statue to be placed where Churchill often painted his beloved French coast.
A big thank you for posting so many circular wonders last week! Amazing creativity – and some of you pointed out that suddenly you saw circles everywhere! I hope you have stopped spinning by now…I am trying to…
This week we’re showcasing cities, large and small – what are the features of your chosen city? Show us images that are part of your overall impression of the city. If you want, focus on two cities, and compare their features. Thank you for broadening the theme, Patti! Please be sure to link to Patti’s original post and include the “lens-artist” tag.
Next week, it’s Tina’sturn to lead LAPC #292, so be sure to visit Travels and Trifles next Saturday at noon EST for her inspiring post.
There is something particularly special and personal about the circle and how its curves comfortably rule every aspect of our lives. ― Kat Lahr
I spent a week in Nice and surrounding villages – and was greatly inspired by the art and architecture as well as the ongoing Carnivals. Last time we visited was in 1976…a long time ago. Honestly, I didn’t recognise anything at all, but loved what I saw. And the food was delicious.
A feast of colourful life filled our days. In fact I found so many lovely circular items, old and new, that I decided this challenge would be about Circular Wonders. For you to interpret the way you find most interesting!
This carnival in Nice is an old tradition. In 1294 it was first mentioned in writing, in 1873 it was the first carnival procession in France, and in 1876, flower floats were introduced. Today the Nice Carnival is the grandest and most important carnival (more than two weeks of festivities) in the Mediterranean area.
As the old towns and small towns here usually do, Saint Paul de Vence, Menton and Eze, offered lovely cobbled streets and wonderful art galleries, big and small. Fondation Maeght was impressive, and the Chagall museum in Nice was of course well worth a visit.
In my gallery below, the included Chagall is from his Bible series. Fête du Citron (with 140 tons of fruit used for uncountable circles…) in Menton had an Olympic theme. And every morning tables were beautifully laid on the beach – emanating strong spring vibes to a cold Swedish soul.
Wander into the center of the circle of wonder.
– Hongzhi Zhengjue
The next gallery is from the Opening Parade (this year the theme was Pop Culture) and the Flower Parade. Among the flower floats I recognised many fairy tale themes. When I said we were going to the ”Flower Parade”, an elderly French gentleman kindly corrected me – Bataille des Fleurs! Oh well, that sounded just perfect in French.
A circle is a round straight line with a hole in the middle.
– Mark Twain
Circles, half circles…skirts, dresses, hairdos, flowers, umbrellas, candy, and even a nose. Most impressive of these circular wonders, were the cycling musicians from the Netherlands – and they circled throughout the whole parade, lead by a biking conductor! There were all instruments from drums to trumpets and horns – and no one fell off his/her bike… some admirable skills there.
Come out of the circle of time
And into the circle of love.
– Rumi
Et voilá – I will end with some non-carnival flowers found in Nice, Menton and Eze. We had such a fun, lovely and uplifting week. And the icing on the cake was that –
Viveka (My Guilty Pleasures) and I chatted for a couple of hours and had a rosy drink while discussing the festivals and our outings around Nice. Unfortunately she had booked one week later than us, so this was only a short meet before we left.
Cheers!
Now we are looking forward to seeing your fantastic circles and half circles! Be sure to link to my original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Hope you want to join in!
Big thanks to John, for last week’s brilliant lessons about tools of composition – inspirational posts en masse! Next week it is Patti’s turn to host, so please visit her beautiful site for more inspiration.
John leads the challenge this week, and wants us to focus on the importance of Shape, Form, Texture and Light in our compositions. I guess most of us do, but without thinking about it. This tunnel in Eze, France, is smoothly showing off all these aspects. I simply take photos of what I find a beautiful view.
John suggests we choose to highlight one or more of these aspects, and present one or two of our favorites. We can decide to focus on only one aspect or include examples of all of them. I thought I would focus on my favourites, texture and light – but found I had some examples for all four of them. Some more of the latter though…
As John points out, the difference between shape and form can be difficult to decide, but artists typically consider shape to be two-dimensional while a form is three-dimensional. This picture above shows a shape of a house that has been stripped of its form. You can still see where the walls and staircases once was.
A house like this would represent a form – a square house in the middle of a square in a little town in Switzerland.
I too, find flowers to be one of my favorite organic forms as subjects for my photography. Cherry blossom in my garden is what I long for right now – but this rare orchid was a real treat on our short trip to Menton.
There are many unique textures created by the elements, and right now I want to highlight magma and lava – as there is an ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland again. Lava formed to solid rock makes fascinating textures. My picture is from the Galapagos Islands.
Photos wouldn’t be possible without light, and capturing light is what photography is all about. Personally I prefer natural light, and will not use the flash unless I am desperately forced to. Which is…almost never.
You can find light everywhere – in the air, in lamp light, sun rays, grasses, glow worms, reflections in water, stones, rails… Backlight is a lovely favourite of mine.
Finally, a Morocco favourite from the small, colourful alleys in Marrakesh.
I am always waiting for some magical light….but, I seldom get it as I live far away from the sea. I feel the light there is often more magical than elsewhere. Except maybe for the desert. Every time I go somewhere close to a lake or the sea, I use some mornings and evenings waiting for ”that” magical moment. The fiery sky photo in the opener was captured on my recent visit to Nice.
Last week, Ritva challenged us to do some Window Shopping – a big thank you for a fun and interesting challenge! I realised I never do this unless I go abroad. It also brought new insight into other cultures and people’s interests. Next week, it is my turn to be your host for the Lens-Artists Challenge. Until then, take care and be kind.
Be sure to link to John’s page if you are participating, and remember to use the Lens-Artists tag. If you’d like to respond to our challenge each week and want to know how to get started, click here.
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