Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Wonder

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

A wonder – everything in creation is. And, in December 2016, I was fortunate enough to enjoy this tiny Wonder (it is the smallest seabird in the world) with my own eyes, swirling around our sailing ship in the Galápagos’ waters. It is an Elliot’s Storm-Petrel. I took hundreds of pictures of these birds…but only a few show clearly enough the bird’s amazing abilities – it walks, runs and stands on water while feeding. I could watch them for hours –

There are two subspecies, and this one is an endemic galapagoensis; ”Elliot” after the man who discovered the bird and “Petrel” refers to Saint Peter walking on water. ”Storm” was the part given to it by the sailors, who believed the birds were warning them about a storm coming their way.

The whole story of this Storm-Petrel is enigmatic…not only is it pelagic (lives at sea only), but despite a population estimated at many thousands – a nest has yet to be found.

The theme for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Wonder.  We invite you to create a post that captures a moment, a feeling, a place, a person—which filled you with wonder.

For more information about Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – click the link!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milo – Moving In

/ Leya / 35 kommentarer

Hi, Milo here…just wanted to tell you – I moved in today! Mum tells me, if I am only half as good as my looks – I can have my own page here! Like Mille♥ and Totti♥. That would be just great. See you!

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in July Y3

/ Leya / 19 kommentarer

Paula’s Pick a Word is always a treat – but this time…I only managed four of her five words. I will have to look closely at how you all solved it!

splash – Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

feathered – Designer Wallin, Sweden. If this does not count…Galapagos’ swallow tailed in the header!

marine – Switzerland

scenic – Switzerland

Thursday Thoughts – Drought

/ Leya / 19 kommentarer

Midsummer and all the festivities surrounding it – is over.

But this Midsummer was a different one. Usually we have rather chilly Midsummers, and a bit rainy – but many beautiful wildflowers. This year I had to take the bike out for hours in order to get the midsummer flowers – the result was only one, single bouquet…

This year, the heat in Sweden has been overwhelming since May, and many elderly people and newborn babies have difficulties with it. Not to talk about Nature and wildlife. There are no worms, no snails, no grass for the cattle and no flowers for us to admire. I pour water in seven different pots in the garden – for the birds and the hedgehogs. Wild fires are frequent in the southern part of Sweden, where I live.

I keep some of my flowers alive though – My Flammentanz roses seem to cope rather well. I water them late in the evening or around midnight. Watering is forbidden in many places now, and soon we will get that message too.

In fact, the cherry tree is the only tree liking this heat – or maybe it works like the pine trees – they produce cones in several hundreds when they think they are going to die. Anyway, the cherries taste delightful, and the tree has never been this blessed before. I planted it when my daughter, Emma, was born, in 1990. My son David got a plum when he was born, in 1992, and his tree brought us many kilos of delicious fruit last year, but this year maybe – 5 plums? But that is the way trees work.

Now it is getting late – Good Night to you all. May the rain fall and the sun shine on us all.

CFFC: Piles or Stacks

/ Leya / 20 kommentarer

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Piles or Stack

For Cee this week – one of my favorite stack photos is this one,  with my mother walking between what once was my forest. In the header: boxes of butter!

Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge: Birds

/ Leya / 15 kommentarer

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Birds

This week I thought I had nothing to enter – until I remembered the kite flyers of Fanö, and one of their funny inventions. Here we go – unfortunately there is no wind, but just use your inner eye and imagine the wind catching their bodies,  making all the birds swing to and fro in a delightful dance.

Drakflygningsfestival Fanö 151-Redigera

Come Join Us! A NEW Weekly Photo Challenge

/ Leya / 137 kommentarer

 

Do you miss sharing your creative ideas and photos each week in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge?  We do. That’s why we’re inviting you to join us for the new LENS – ARTISTS weekly photo challenge.  Our goal is to continue our creative community on WordPress.

Each Saturday at noon EST we will publish a photo challenge similar in form to the now-defunct WPC. If you choose to participate, please make sure to tag your post with the name of our group, LENS-ARTISTS, so that all of the responses can be found together in the WP Reader.  Please also include a link to the challenge moderator’s post.  One of our 4 moderators will host the challenge each week:

Week 1–Patti of https://pilotfishblog.com/

Be sure to subscribe to all 4 blogs to receive the weekly challenges.

Patti will post the first challenge on Saturday, July 7. 

 

Many of us who liked the WordPress photo challenge, wish to learn more and experiment with our photography, and many of us also love to travel and to see and share different angles of the world. Just to remind us of what we’re missing, here are three of my personal favorite photos from previous WPC Challenges.
Monochromatic, Scotland, September 2015 – The magnificent Kelpies are so big, that catching their expressions in the best light, from the best position, is a challenge in itself.
Curve, Sweden, Skåne, June 2016 – A simple and serene attempt with graceful curves. I have learned from many of you, that a photo often looks best when making it simple, not overdoing things.
Pedestrian, Poland, October 2017 – A problem to work on for many of us is photographing people. I try to improve my skills – and from the feedback I get, I am… but I need much more practice. Courage to talk to people – not to be afraid of asking. After all – you can only get ”Yes” or ”No”…

 

In the header: Temporary, Sweden, Skåne, November 2017.

We hope you’ll join us as we continue to support the wonderful community of creative sharing we all greatly value. We look forward to seeing you next week!