LENS-ARTISTS

Lens-Artists Challenge # 399 – Stuck in Place

/ Leya / 14 kommentarer

Egidio has a new adventure for us, he wants us to pick a place to stay put for thirty minutes to an hour and take photos of things that catches our interest and curiosity. A good way to spark creativity again! So, please go to his sparkling and creative site for more about how to get started!

I thought I would wait for an opportunity to appear…and not go searching for it. This is what happened two days ago when we went to our summerhouse to clean up and make it ready for Midsummer – a perfect spark for me! Back today – a bit late, but still here!

When we arrived, I (as I always do) went down to the shore with Milo. But the sight that met me was an unusual one this time – there was a stranded sailing boat lying with its sails torn by the winds. This has never happened in all those 50 summers I have spent here. I immediately knew – this was the place to get stuck for Egidio’s challenge. My husband brought Milo back to the house, and I brought my camera from the car. Excited, this would be fun.

At this time of the year, the water is not very warm – maybe 10-15 degrees maximum. But dogs love it, and luckily one of them got stuck in my camera focus…

As I looked around for more photo opportunities, I noticed the magical scent from white cow parsley by the old gate, filling the air with summer joy.

Then I walked a few steps up to Milo – he had returned to me and lay basking in the sun. I guess wondering what I was up to… I could clearly discern the dark strings of colour in his thick coat after the Pit-bull´s attack in October. All his scars have grown darker brown hairs, making him partly look like a Dalmatian. Handsome!

Further up some more steps and I finished my 40 minutes with our table in sun and shadow.

Ritva’s challenge last week got us all looking at single colors. I loved the variety of colorful responses! We hope you will join this challenge too. Please don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag in your posts to help people find your entries.

Next week, Tina will feature a new challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about it. Until then – stay kind and be well.

Lens-Artists Challenge #398 – Choose a Colour

/ Leya / 48 kommentarer

I want to paint the rest of my days with the best colors.

― Debasish Mridha

Ritva asks us to select one color (excluding black and white), and share a maximum of 6 photos where our chosen color is the prominent hue, or alternatively, you may share one photo featuring each of the following captivating colors in their various shades: red, blue, green, purple, orange, and yellow.

I am cheating…I hope Ritva forgives me for choosing my favourite colours only – but in 6 photos!

Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.

– Pedro Calderón de la Barca

There is no doubt that green is my favourite colour. To me, spring brings life back to us, revitalising, we are bathing in Mother Nature’s lush greenery. I am surrounded by green in my garden, in my home, in my daily forest walks.

In fact, I am beginning to wonder how I will survive a move to a place without a garden…Hopefully in the far future.

”How lovely yellow is! It stands for the sun.”

– Vincent van Gogh

Yellow and orange are lively and uplifting colours. If I tweak it a bit, there is a hint of red here as well. This yellow foxtail lily shines intensely in the shadow of a tree.

A certain blue enters your soul

– Henri Matisse

We have blue all around us on this planet Earth…every season has its own shade or tint. Ice on my glass house windows shows spectacular patterns.

All the other colors are just colors, but purple seems to have a soul—when you look at it, it’s looking back at you.

— Uniek Swain

Purple – irresistible Wisteria! Our visit to Japan made me plant four new Wisterias in my garden.

A big thank you to Anne for the Texture challenge last week! The diversity in your posts provided us with both inspiration and awe – I felt like going out with my camera for even more textures… Next week, it will be Egídio’s turn to lead us, so be sure to visit his beautiful site for more creative ideas.

Until then – stay well and be kind.

Lens-Artists Challenge #397 – Texture

/ Leya / 28 kommentarer

Anne leads us this week, with an interesting challenge: Texture. She says texture gives us the visual quality of a surface — how rough, smooth, gritty, or soft it appears in a two-dimensional image. Please go to her beautiful site for brilliant guidance!

I decided to use photos from our trip to Africa this February – a continent of many textures, both in animals, plants and landscape.

In this gallery I hope to have gathered a variey of African textures, mainly in animals. I hope you can ”feel” them! (Even if you may not really want to…)

Show us your images where texture plays an integral part. I think you will find they are more frequent than you thought! When you share your post, please remember to link it to Anne’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Last week I had great fun seeing your pairings with pictures and quotes! Many I had never seen before and many recognized but with new surprising combos. Thanks you to all who participated! Next week Ritva will be presenting the challenge. A visit to her site is always rewarding – In the meantime, stay safe and be kind!

Lens-Artists Challenge # 396 – Pick a Favourite Quote and Illustrate it.

/ Leya / 86 kommentarer

This week I have chosen for us to illustrate favourite quotes. Personally, I love quotes, and I believe many of us do – some maybe even collect memorable quotes in a book or a file on the computer or phone. There is much to learn from old wisdom – and wit…that speaks to us.This week you can choose one quote accompanied with a maximum of five pictures or a maximum of five quotes illustrated with one picture each. Make us ”feel”your quote(s) in pictures!

These are my choices!

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

— Walter Hagen

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.”

– Hafez

“Each time you read a book, a tree smiles knowing there’s life after death”

– Unknown

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they make the best of everything.”

– Unknown

“Just living is not enough … one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

— Hans Christian Andersen

I am very much looking forward to seeing what you have chosen and how you have illustrated your quote(s)! Please use the Lens-Artists tag and link to my original post.

A huge thank you to Beth for last week’s looking back challenge. I was lucky to just have returned from mountains of water and I believe all of us really love water … the diversity and beauty of your posts gave us many tips for the future! Next week it is Annes turn to lead us, be sure to visit her beautiful site for inspiration. Until then, keep well, be nice and enjoy your days.

LAPC #395 – Looking Back to Challenge #155 – On the Water

/ Leya / 33 kommentarer

Beth is looking back this week. Originally it was John´s post, and now Beth hands it over to us – please take a look at both posts!

I am just back from a trip to Croatia, a trip I have wanted to make for some years now, but life got in between. I hope you will enjoy following me along to some of its highlights!

I have never seen so many waterfalls in one day, or even a year – or maybe in my whole life. And they were all different, and all magnificent. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and the largest national park in Croatia, and a UNESCO World Heritage. It covers an area of just under 300 km2 and the lake system is comprised of 16 named and several smaller unnamed lakes, cascading one into the next. There are twelve lakes in the Upper system and four in the Lower system.

Walking through a forest where water surrounds you – and every tree – imagine the sound! The biggest waterfall, Veliki Slap, is a wonder where you walk across the lower part and can truly enjoy its beauty, all the way from the top and down. You also walk on boardwalks, to come closer to the falls in every lake. So much magic. The exceptional beauty of this park makes it outstanding and something to put on your bucket list – if it is not already there.

I hope the pictures speak for themselves. The walk took 7 hours with photo stops and food. So be sure to give it a whole day. And if you can – go in low season, we had read about the masses of tourists during the high season and did not want that stress.

As we were driving from Zagreb to Plitvice, we happened upon a village we had never heard of before, Rastoke, on the Korana River. On the water! The houses were literally situated on the water and the village is renowned for its mills and waterfalls. A wonderful surprise!

Thank you, Beth, for a wonderful challenge – just right for me this week! Show anything on the water. You can choose to show watercraft, things floating, closeups of water, scenic water landscapes, or anything else you can think of. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her original post.

Last week your responses to John’s “History Through the Lens” challenge were all inspiring. I enjoyed all of the images and learned a lot from your posts. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

On Saturday, May 2 at noon eastern time it’s my turn to be your host – Ann-Christine/Leya.

Lens-Artists Challenge #394 – History Through the Lens

/ Leya / 23 kommentarer

History plays a big part in all our lives, and John urges us to post some interesting history this week. Please visit his site for wonderful stories and photos!

Some years ago we visited Tjolöholm Castle, which is not very old, but contains a great mix of old and new. In many respects it is a fairytale castle, built 1898-1904 by James Fredrik and Blanche Dickson. In fact it was Blanche who finished it, as her husband died shortly after the plans were ready.

The Dickson family had moved from England and bought Tjolöholm to build a new home. The style is Arts and Crafts, and the whole interior is intact – rather fantastic. The furniture, tapestery and almost everything indoors was bought from Liberty in London – a company that still exists.

The young architect, Lars Israel Wahlman, combined the Tudor style with modernities from the turn of the century such as showers with circularly flowing water, electricity, central heating, and a vaccuum cleaner (so big and heavy that it had to be drawn by horses). The intention was to create a home that was both comfortable and dignified.

Dresses? One made for side saddle and some showing what to make them all stand out – I can imagine how cumbersome it must have been for women to ride – and walk…

Some of the most impressive ideas and rooms were the bathrooms with the special showers. All ordered from Liberty in London – the worksmen as well! I loved the flower room and the children’s room, where the vases and the toys still stood waiting.

The player piano or pianola to the left, is one of the last existing, working pianolas. The many boxes on top of it contains pieces of music for the instrument. The last picture shows the quite elegant vaccuum cleaner…

At the back of the castle waited a wonderful garden, English style of course. Well worth a visit. And it contained one of my favourites – this white thistle – like beauty.

There is a famous history of these flowers as well, Eryngeum giganteum, often called ”Miss Wilmott’s Ghost”. Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934) was a trailblazer in the male dominated world of horticulture, she challenged the gender roles and redefined what women could achieve in science and art. She won the Royal Hoticultutral Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour for her work.

The flower then? Well, they say Miss Wilmott used to carry seeds from this plant in her pocket, scattering them secretly in gardens she visited.

Thank you to Sofia for last week’s wonderful Lucky Shots – many smiles and wows! Lucky shots certianly play a big role in what we catch with our lens. Next week, it’s Beth’s turn to host. Be sure to follow her [here] so you don’t miss her challenge that goes live on Saturday at noon Eastern Time.

Lens-Artists Challenge #393 – Lucky Shot

/ Leya / 33 kommentarer

Sophia has a fun challenge in store for us – lucky shots we have saved, either while photographing or while editing. Please go to her lovely site for great inspiration!

When flying in to Victoria Falls, we saw the pillar of water drops rising from the river and falls up in the sky. And, I did not have a window seat… that’s why this photo is such a lucky shot!

Arriving at the gates, we were welcomed by Pumba himself.

I loved the kudus with their big ears and beautiful faces. Back home, at the computer, I found a bird sitting between the ears of this female, naturally there were some sitting on her back too.

Home again, a summer some 7-8 years ago, we had planned ”fika” at this table. But when we got there, it was already taken…

Ten years ago, in our garden, I was lucky enough to catch a series of our neighbour’s cat raiding two magpies’ nests. I could hardly believe my eyes – or my luck! 6 photos show it all.

Finally, an old, well used photo of my favourite dogs. Sweet memories.

Mille and Totti always had fun together – this quick shot, (on the computer) showed young Totti giving a full head blow to his old friend Mille.

With children and animals, you can always get lucky and surprising pictures!

Thank you, Sofia, for a great challenge! And thank you to Patti for enlightening us on the three layers! A good teacher and many excellent answers!

Lens-Artists Challenge #392 – Framing Your Shots

/ Leya / 35 kommentarer

Patti‘s challenge this week is all about using Foreground, Middle Ground and Background to make your shot more interesting. Please visit her original post for brilliant examples!

I will use some of my latest photos from Africa, even though they will not be as diverse examples as Patti´s.

At the Victoria Falls Hotel: Chairs and tables are in the foreground, a bar in the middle and a painted balcony in the background. Even if this is not a symmetric picture, everything is in harmony.

This is a picture of very short perspective, but I can still see the three levels – zebra paintings in the foreground, painter in the middle and more paintings in the background.

The artist, Lemington Muzhingi, was a very warm person and when I asked about his art, he told us the moving story of how he became a skilled artist. As a child he admired his big brother, who effortlessly painted anything around him. When Lemington tried to paint like him, he was laughed at and mocked, so he hid his paintings under the carpet and continued to secretely practice. One day another boy in his class found one of his paintings and showed it to the teacher. That was the starting point for Lemington’s career and now he is a dedicated painter selling all over the world.

Back to the restaurant for dinner! Grass and branches in the foreground, the restaurant in the middle and clouds and more trees in the background.

Patti invites us to join in and share up to 3 photos that use this technique from our archives or from a photo walk. Link to her original post and use the “lens-artists” tag so we can find your post in the Reader.

A Big thanks to Tina and her beautiful Phone Challenge that proved phones are ready for primetime photography – and for me to practice… Next week Sofia returns with next challenge on Saturday, April 11th at noon EST. In the meantime, have fun and stay inspired!

Lens-Artists Challenge #391 – Phone Photography

/ Leya / 31 kommentarer

Tina engages us in phone photography – and I must admit there are fantastic possibilities nowadays. I don’t have a very good camera phone, ( a 5 year old Samsung) but I can call people and manage my life with the phone I have. I seldom use it on travels, but at home on my walks and small outings when a real camera feels cumbersome. I still find it difficult to hold this thing for a good photo. I guess I would have to practice more! True is, that “The best camera is the one you have with you.” — Chase Jarvis

Anyway, this is a fun challenge! I have chosen to make a gallery of my shots, because of the lesser quality of my phone. Larger photos don’t make it good enough. So, here we go with everything from macro to happy ladies!

We hope you’ll join us to share your own thoughts and results with your phone of choice. Be sure to link to Tinas post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Egidio for showing us the power of B&W and having us conjuring up the colors with our imagination. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Patti leads us on her Pilotfish post. Until then, please stay safe and be kind.

Lens-Artists Challenge #390 – Colour in B&W

/ Leya / 25 kommentarer

Egidio gives us something to think about this week – examples that come to mind showing the implied presence of color in a black-and-white photo. Please visit his site for excellent examples and inspiration! Sometimes, the color may not be obvious to a general worldwide audience. So, please explain your choices.

My first choice is a fire from Walpurgis night – it will soon be here now – and I am sure we all have vivid pictures of fire in our mind.

In the northern hemisphere we are all waiting for Spring – and cherry flowers are recognizable to most of us.

In my area of Sweden, the southernmost part, Spring and early summer is mostly yellow and blue – rapeseed and blue skies surround our houses and neighbourhoods. And our flag is yellow and blue too.

For my last example – something most of us will recognize – but, what colurs are involved? I am not really sure…are you?

Thank you, Egídio for this cool challenge, I had fun with it. You had such good examples that it brought back memories from our black and white tv days. Hope to see you this week, and please remember to link back to his original post and to tag Lens-Artists so we can easily find you.

Last week we relaxed with Anne’s beautiful challenge. It was great to see all sorts of relaxing places and people/animals relaxing. It’s amazing how we every week come up with different ideas for the same challenge.

Next week is Tina’s turn to lead us, Saturday 28th March. Until then, stay safe and take care.

If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.