LENS-ARTISTS

Lens-Artists Challenge #273 – Symmetry

/ Leya / 46 kommentarer

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

– William Blake

The Tiger is a beauty beyond belief. And together with the lines of this well known poem, they are the first things I associate with the word ”symmetry”. The photo was taken at Nordens Ark, Sweden. Nordens Ark has participated or is currently taking part in re-population projects, to release animals born at the facility into the wild.

Sofia is our host this week, and her theme is Symmetry. She reminds us that symmetry is everywhere – if you look for it. Symmetry is an important composition tool in all kinds of art. Photography, painting, sculpture – and in fact, I believe it is essential for all our senses to reach harmony. Please visit her beautiful blog for more inspiration. Tag your own post Lens-Artists and link to Sofia’s original post!

I will continue to randomly associate and ponder the concept… I realise that naturally there is no such thing as perfect symmetry, but I also thought about how for example religious buildings like churches, mosques and cathedrals meticulously use symmetry for harmony (in the congregation?). Or at least I guess that is one of the reasons for their architectural style.

Naturally doors and windows are often symmetrical – double doors in particular. They are also very popular with tourist photographers. (Thursday Doors?)

Two pictures in harmony with each other – and still so different. I found both in Prague, and to me, the first one represents human efforts to master and to reach Nature’s grandeur. The butterflies have been sorted and set behind glass in an attempt to make the composition symmetrical. A living butterfly is seemingly symmetrical, but the framed, manmade result could never compete with nature itself. I am happy to point out that we have abandoned killing butterflies and piercing them with needles – we photograph them instead.

The church ceiling is interesting in that the painters have used very irregular areas to decorate, but still arrive at a sense of symmetry. Difficult but clever.

Wine barrels in Porto – a special symmetry – maybe not perfect, but nicely done. Just don’t get them rolling…

Water and mirrors invite to beautiful symmetry. Yesterday morning’s outing gave these two – asymmetric symmetry? I believe most of us never get tired of reflections.

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.”

– William Shakespeare

And, I don’t know about you, but somehow I look for – and use – both symmetry and asymmetri in the same image. Why? Maybe the answer is that they need one another to enhance each other.

Last week, John’s challenge gave us a chance to share billboards and signs from around the world and I hope they made you smile just as many times as they did me. Thank you all for a great, smiling week!

Next week, Donna is our host. And to follow Symmetry – we’ll have Asymmetry. Please visit Donna’s site for inspiration! Hope to see you then!

Lens-Artists Challenge # 272 – Billboards and Signs

/ Leya / 56 kommentarer

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

– Albert Einstein

John asks us to look for signs or billboards, they are everywhere. And, if you don’t capture images of physical signs, consider any photographs of metaphorical signs. Thank you, I will try a mix!

Let’s start with the season – not many colours yet, but enough to know autumn is coming..

Then some signs of power: a wall in Split, showing the old city map, and who built the city.

Another sign of power – a jaguar sitting on a Jaguar.

A gallery of different signs from our travels would be a good idea, but I haven’t got that many. Here are some signs I remember well though…

Signs from Madeira, China, Italy, Sweden, England, Scotland, New Zealand, Iceland, Alaska and Canada. Wondering about the toilet? It’s in The Elephant House in Edinburgh – the birthplace of the Harry Potter novels. (Not the toilets…) J. K. Rowling first wrote about him from a table in this café. The signs are from fans all over the world…And here is one of her own:

Hearing voices no one else can hear isn’t a good sign, even in the wizarding world.

– J. K. Rowling

I cannot leave you without two favourites from Tblisi, Georgia, a city with a warm heart for its stray cats and dogs. The dog house has got a feeding automat where you can put in some money and there will fall down dog food for the strays to munch.

We are looking forward to seeing your challenge response this week. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists so we can find you in the reader, and link to John’s original post.

Many thanks to Amy for hosting last week’s challenge, “Contrasts”, and thanks to you for creative and interesting posts! Next week, it’s Sofia’s turn. If you want to join in the challenge, but aren’t sure how to get started, check here.

Lens-Artists Challenge #271 – Contrasts

/ Leya / 50 kommentarer

Contrast is what makes photography interesting.

– Conrad Hall

This week Amy challenges us to show contrasts – please visit her inspirational site for more ideas!

My post was mostly made from our Alaska cruise, but a couple of images are from Prague. The first thing that comes to mind is black and white, here illustrated by the hanging man in Prague (…to me B&W also is connected to horror movies) and scyscrapers in Seattle.

Next up are some contrasting colours, black and white, blue and orange.

Over to Frank Gehry’s building and the Monorail built for the World Exhibition in 1962. Interesting to see it pass ”into” the building.

This is totally another kind of contrast. Architecture is fascinating, with contrasts and juxtapositions making us see, hate or appreciate.

On the road side of the same building the contrasts are in both colours, shapes and structures. The natural world/advanced architecture.

A collection of colours, silhouettes and textures. Close/sharp – faraway/blurred. Smooth water contrasting harsh cliffs – and framed/unframed is another contrast.

Finally, a before/after – colour/monochrome from Seattle harbour and seafront.

As you can see, contrasts in photography are not limited to black and white. There are architectual structures, colours/textures, daylight/nightlight – and many more. We hope you will join us sharing the contrasts you’ve captured through your lens. Please make a link to Amy’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find you in the WP Reader.
Many thanks for all your splendid and creative On Display – posts last week. We really enjoyed your beautiful displays. I still go back and look at them… Next week, John (Journeys with Johnbo) will host LAPC #272. Be sure to visit his site for inspiration.

Lens- Artists Challenge #270 – On Display

/ Leya / 217 kommentarer

This week I thought we would reuse an old theme – On Display. And it could almost be about anything… from a shoe shop to a garden party. Maybe you passed a lovely market with an amazing display of fruit and vegetables, or a fancy shopping center with striking design in the windows, or maybe a garden with surprising ideas.

Luckily I was visiting Sofiero Palace because of its gardening days some weeks ago. ( With Viveka, the lovely lady in one of my Thursday posts )

You attract people with the qualities you display. You keep them by the qualities you possess.

– Unknown

The royal gardens of Sofiero has its own story, and is renowned for its extensive park with 500 different varieties of Rhododendrons. King Gustaf VI and his wife, Louise Mountbatten, designed the gardens. On our visit, the display was according to the season, autumnal, with vegetables, fruit and berries, zinnias and dahlias.

We were lucky with the weather as well, so everything still looked fresh and appealing.

The dahlias were overwhelming – still growing or already picked and on display.

It’s not our art, but our heart that’s on display.

– Gary Holland

A gigantic apple tree, decorated for lunch – like a romantic painting. I wished I could have had such a lush display in my own garden. Sitting at this table with happy friends and good food – the very thought of it made my imagination swoon. I would ask all of you to be my guest!

Karl Fredrik is a florist, gardener and interior designer who often is seen in different programs on Swedish TV. At Sofiero, he used a glasshouse to display his art, wine bottles, fruits and plants. And – as is his trade mark – there was MUCH of everything. I haven’t been to his home, Eklaholm, in Scania, so I was looking forward to seeing his arrangements here.

I hope you enjoy!

Let your personality and passions shine through in the objects you choose to display in your home.

– Jeremiah Brent

I was lucky to meet the busy artist himself in the doorway to the glass house – there he was with a new load of bottles! I just had to ask…and he gladly let me take a snapshot of him.

Many thanks to Patti for the fantastic On the Edge challenge – a joy to see all your inspiring posts! I hope you will join us this week too, and please use the Lens-Artists tag and link your post to mine – because now we are looking forward to seeing what You have found on display! At home or anywhere in the world.

Have fun and stay inspired – I cannot wait to see your displays!

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.

Lens-Artists Challenge #268 – Tell us Why – II

/ Leya / 23 kommentarer

”Tina asks us to choose 5 images or fewer,” should have been 10 or fewer… I was on the road/ship for some weeks, and now, having seen so many glorious posts from you, I feel I should also post some oldies and goodies – I did not realize I could do that. (Risking you would tire of them, because I have posted them several times before.) So, here are some old, true favourites for you!

I went to an art exhibition some years ago – and this window, with vines growing outside, ended up being my favourite work of art that day. Ethereal, glowing and living lace. The grid makes it even more special. I still remember the amazing feeling seeing the window from inside the building. A favourite ever since.

A lovely winter morning many years ago, at the local lake. The graceful swans floated by in the morning fog, standing out in the thin, cold rays of sun. It makes for an almost otherworldly feeling.

Iceland – I could have chosen so many of my images from this paradise. But, a late winter evening on the beach, brought this golden shine with diamond crested waves. There were diamonds in the black sand as well. (We had snow, but who could imagine that?) The combination made the very special feeling.

One of my all time favourites, maybe the greatest? The Fluela Pass in Switzerland. We drove there two times that day. In the morning, it was nothing, just an ordinary pass – but returning to our hotel that evening, the reflections were stunning. Also the people in the image makes for understanding the shere size of it, giving it perspective.

Finally – at home, a road often travelled with my dog. One warm summer evening, many years ago, the light was soft and yellow, there was no wind and the gravel road looked like a dream. The stretch of the road, curves and structures were enhanced by the light and shadows. I have never seen the road like this since then.

Thank you again, Tina, for a wonderful challenge – hopefully it is OK to do another post!

Lens-Artists Challenge# 268 – Tell us Why

/ Leya / 51 kommentarer

Tina asks us to choose 5 images or fewer, and tell us what is special about them. I have chosen five favourites, and different reasons to why.

The first one is macro of a Toad Lily from my garden – a very spectacular little flower that seemingly mimics an orchid. On a sunny morning last week, she was a glorious sight.

The second image is maybe more ordinary, but it is the first rose I have grown and planted from a cutting of my favourite rose, and it is flowering already in its second year. In the very early morning light it stood out through the gate grid. As always, Light means everything.

My third choice is a dry pond in Sofia, Bulgaria. I was immediately caught by its colours, textures and patterns, and the work going on above it added to the special feeling of depth. It might even look more interesting without water!

In Bulgaria, 2017, we visited the most beautiful monastery I have ever seen. Stuck between the mountains and hidden behind colourful doors, a dream was waiting…. The feeling when we walked through that entrance was amazing. We all gasped, and I think I took several hundred photos inside. This is just the first thing we met…

The whole monastery was covered in paintings, every vault and every wall. Unforgettable. And – almost impossible to photograph. This was a try to show both mountains. vaults and paintings.

Thank you to Egidio for last weeks wonderful theme, and for all your beautiful posts!

So, now we are looking forward to seeing your chosen images – and why they are special to you. Don’t forget to tag with Lens-Artists, and link to Tina’s original post.

Stay well and be kind!

Lens-Artists Challenge #267 – Recharge

/ Leya / 58 kommentarer

We welcome Egídio of Through Brazilian Eyes as our guest host this week! He challenges us to show how we recharge our batteries when we need more energy.

As long as I can remember, walking, hiking with family to beautiful places has been my medicine.

One of the best ways to recharge is by simply being in the presence of art. No thoughts, no critiques. Just full-on absorption mode. ― Dean Francis Alfar

– Listening to the sounds of nature

– maybe alone in the forest

– or with Milo (and all of my dogs…)

Soft, clear light is a magical recharger, walking along the shore, listening to the waves.

Not to talk about the levada hikes in Madeira, they are the ultimate rechargers. Enjoying the fantastic views, the heavenly scent and listening to the rippling water – the stillness. Your senses filled to the brim. But unfortunately Madeira is not that close to home…

At home I go to my secret garden to easily recharge my batteries. Just walking, pruning, planting – or sitting in a comfortable chair watching everything grow. To follow the birds nesting and the seasons glow fills my heart.

Another way of recharging is photography, playing with my photos in different software, making double exposures or looking at macro worlds. Then, like a tree in spring, I will feel elevated, lifting my eyes again, towards a new day with new promises.

Many thanks to Donna for last week’s wonderful Time challenge. We truly enjoyed your many different interpretations, and hope you’ll join us for this week’s challenge too. Please remember to link to Egídio’s original post, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag for our Reader section. Finally, Tina will lead us next week, so, be sure to check her out next Saturday at noon, EST.

Lens-Artists Challenge #266 – Time

/ Leya / 26 kommentarer

Donna has chosen Time as her theme. And Time can indeed be looked upon in many ways. We humans invented Time. Wikipedia explains it, in short, like this:

Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future.

Sometimes I think about how much my husband’s grandmother and my own grandmother had seen and experienced during their lifetime. Born at the end of the 19th century and died in the 1990’s. How did they cope with such gigantic changes during their lifespan? WWI, WWII, cars, TV, video, digital worlds, walking on the moon…Well, we do. We have to. We are made to. AI next.

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.

– Albert Einstein

The enigma of Time. My grandmother spent her whole life in the little village where I was born. She read poetry and worked the land. She loved John Lennon and Michael Jackson. At the same time her eldest son hosted the Swedish pavillion at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. He moved back to Sweden after 17 years, but he never even mentioned his working days or time over there. (When I asked, grandmother took out a photo of my uncle together with Robert Kennedy at the fair. A frozen piece of time.) Born and raised in a poor family, he knew you should never boast about what you had achieved. Today…..I feel it is very different. Time changes…and in many ways not for the better.

The older I get, the more I find the concept of Time strange. That I am living in it, cannot stop it and cannot go back to relive it. ( Maybe you too loved those movies about time travel. I remember Back to the Future for example. And the Time Lord, Doctor Who.) Maybe the worst thing is that feeling of not being able to take good enough care of the time we are given…That is the trap we all are stuck in. One possible reason for this could be that most of us see time linear; some people, in other civilizations, see it circular. If we could do that too, I believe the trap might dissolve.

In my first image, a Bhutanese woman is working the soil in the same way that my grandmother did as a young girl, about 100 years ago.

100 years later, the land is worked with modern machines into even furrows and the potatoes are set with exact precision on top.

Time –

They say Time is the most precious gift. As I am ageing, I am beginning to understand just how precious.

In pictures, my Time gallery over 20 years, are from life with my beloved Lagottos. Mille was born 2002, a wild one, then along came Totti in 2008 – quite the opposite to Mille. Calm, laid back – a bon vivant. We had so much fun together.

You know – opposites can go well together. My husband and I are opposites – and over the years we have learned to live well with each other. It takes time, but you have to give it that time too.

  • Bonebreakers Giardiniere

I lost Mille in 2014 and Totti in 2021. Milo arrived in 2018, and it took more than six months for Totti to even look at him…but they too, eventually, became the best friends. Milo is the sweetest dog I have ever had, and I have had six dogs all in all between 1970 and 2023. They have shared my precious time and made every day more positive and fun.

Now this post was a lot of rambling through Time – hope it still held together and you did not tire of my time travels!

Thank you to Anne for her inspiration with Black & White/Monochrome last week. Wonderful responses! Next week we are proud to have Egídio of Through Brazilian Eyes as our guest host and we are set to Recharge. Please check his stunning photography and post for more info.

I want to send a huge thank you to Donna, for such an interesting theme and for the inspirational post she presented to us. I’m more than curious where all your replies will take us. Remember to visit Donna’s beautiful post and link back to it. The Lens-Artists tag will help us find you.

Finally, I will be on the road for some weeks, start Monday, with less wifi than usual – but I will check you out as soon as I can! Until then – stay well and be kind.

Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.

Lens-Artists Challenge #265 – Black and White and Monochrome

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

Although humans see reality in colour, for me, black and white has always been connected to the image’s deeper truth, to its most hidden meaning.

– Peter Lindbergh

I have come to love monochrome almost as much as colour. I think mostly because you are more free to create another mood in the picture and to enhance features you would like to dominate. Thank you, Anne, for this interesting theme.

I believe details become clearer, and you can easier rest your eyes on a monochrome image.

There is of course another difference if and how you frame your picture…

…and if you go closer or keep a distance to your object.

You decide, depending on what your goal is with your image.

Some images I just love to have fun with in B&W – making them into abstracts…

– here are some favourites from the kite festival at Fanö, Denmark.

I use NIK Silver Efex for my B&W and monochromes. The option ”yellowed” in NIK is a favourite of mine. So is this crow, contemplating the waves, sitting on an abandoned jetty.

I don’t see the world completely in black and white. Sometimes I do.

– Benicio Del Toro


Sincere thank you to Sofia for her colourful challenge last week and for all your photos using amazing primary colours.

Thank you again to Anne for hosting this week, hope you are feeling better now, resting from the accident! I invite you to visit Anne’s amazing site and join us this week. Please tag Lens-Artists and link back to her original post.

Next week, Donna will be our host and that promises to be a treat so, please visit her beautiful site for more information. Keep well!