LENS-ARTISTS

LAPC #214 Favourite Finds

/ Leya / 159 kommentarer

Do you love walking in bazaars or flee markets, or just window shopping? Something found in your grandmother’s closet? Second hand is very popular in the Nordic countries right now. Do you find museums intriguing? Or, maybe like me, you love special, surprising finds in nature? I am sure you have something hidden in your archives that once surprised you or filled you with awe…

We will be happy to enjoy your finds this week! And, maybe there is a story too…?

In the header my image shows some lovely hats found at Tjolöholm Castle. I love hats…unfortunately I don’t look that good in them – but I still buy one now and then.

The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.
– Hubert H. Humphrey

A shopping window in Gdansk. Too many things…but one of my best friends had pugs. Many pugs. I’d like to think she would have loved this one. Had she still been here, I might have bought it for her.
Of all possessions a friend is the most precious.
– Herodotus

A mobile made of 9 porcelain birds…not easily washed or handled, but it is still in one piece – or many pieces in one piece. It was given to me from my friend with the pugs – so you understand she is still with me, even if she has been gone for almost 8 years.
If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.
– Rachel Carson

This is a remarkable find. A moth that is disguised as a twig. Look at the little feet and you will find him – the other one is…a twig.

There is also a possibility that someone finds Me…

This beauty was a find in our summerhouse, last year I believe, or the year before. Look at the size and the intricate patterns woven. Nature’s masterpiece made by industrious wasps.
A window on a backstreet in Rome made me stop and look, then the bird made me take out the camera! I still love this window…and I wonder who once lived there. Old Rome always fascinates.

A precious find was the statue of Gaudí, because I finally got the chance to ask him about his art and why he stepped out in the road and was hit by a tram. Why? We would have loved him to stay and finish so many other architectural pieces…

Special thanks to Amy for last week’s happy sunshine! A bright and positive theme with many beautiful images.

Now we are looking forward to your favourite finds! Be sure to link your post here and don’t forget the tag, so we can find you in the reader.

For next week, September 3, John will be our host, and his theme will be: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…and the places they take us to visit.

Until then – stay calm, kind and loving.

LAPC #213 – Here Comes the Sun

/ Leya / 91 kommentarer

Amy is back hosting, and she comes with the sun! Please visit her beautiful site for more inspiration!

I will pick some of my favourite suns over the years – as

According to the Beatles:

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright

I have mostly caught sunsets, I know, but to me they are the most spectacular ones. In the header – millions of suns in Spain, and the flowers for Ukraine to be free and shine again.

Iceland an early winter morning

A winter morning at home, Hovdala

– and a misty summer morning at Lake Grecken, Sweden

View from the sailing ship in Ecuador/Galapagos

Christmas Eve, Lake Taupo, NZ 2011

My beloved son enjoying the sunset at our summer house

This is my favourite image. Walking alone along the old gravel road with my first lagotto, Mille. The soft warmth of that summer night is still lingering in my memory whenever I look at this image.

An artsy one…at Wanås. A backdrop for one of our most famous artist’s summer show.

Iceland again – because I love this country so much… and already missing it again…

Welcome to share your images of “Here Comes the Sun”– from anytime of the day. Special thanks to Patti for last week’s “Motion” theme. Through her lens and techniques, we have learned the art of capturing motion. Thank you for sharing your fun, creative motion/movement photos!

Please link your post to Amy’s original and tag your post, so we can find you in the reader.

Next week, I, Leya/Ann-Christine, will be your host – until then, stay tuned, take care and be kind.

LAPC #212 – Motion

/ Leya / 52 kommentarer

This week, Patti invites us to have fun with motion. Please visit her site and get inspiration and great examples on how to go about the challenge!

Personally I will tweak it a bit…letting me do the motion while the object is standing still.

In this first yellow one I have used a favourite technique – double exposure. The gentle flowers seem to be dancing a wild, energetic dance.

In these two slider pairs, I have used ICM – intentional camera movements. In a sense, ICM gives the same effect as (intentional) single-exposition motion blur: in the former the camera moves during exposure, in the second the target moves, but they have in common that there is relative motion between camera and target, resulting in streaking in the image.

In the first pair, I have moved my camera from an upward point downwards, rather fast, trying to create as straight lines as possible while the motif gets blurred. In the second pair, I have tried to move the camera faster still, making the image even more blurred, giving the sense of fast movement.

Generally exposures of 1/20 to 1/2 second give the best results and an optimum seems to be 1/8 of a second to retain the shape of the subject, but strip away surface detail. But much is trial and error!

Another motion effect can be achieved by changing the focal length of a zoom lens during the exposure. I find this even more difficult to get a satisfying result. But fun it is and the results surprising!

As I don’t use filters, I tried these effects in the late evening to get softer light.

Last week Anne Sandler challenged us to explore our photographic groove. A great challenge, Anne, and we found many interesting grooves to explore! Next week, Amy will lead the challenge. Visit her beautiful site next Saturday at noon EST to join the fun.

Just remember to link your post to Patti’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you in the Reader.

Until next time…, stay safe and be kind.

LAPC #211 – What’s Your Photographic Groove?

/ Leya / 62 kommentarer

Our host this week, Anne Sandler , is asking: ”What type of photography do you truly enjoy doing?”

I enjoy almost all types of photography, but Nature is my Muse. More specificly: flowers, close-ups and macro. And I am happy if in the flowers there is a critter or two as well… I believe our ”groove” changes over the years – as the world is changing – so are we.

For many years my photography was all about travel, new places, new people, new architecture, new food… but there has always been flowers. And why flowers? Well, I was born in the countryside, and from my grandmother I learned the importance of the little things – to see a world in a grain of sand. Flowers – nothing beats their great variety; in colours, shapes and sizes. I have to have flowers in my life!

My blog was named lagottocattleya after my favourite breed of dogs and my favourite orchid. So, the first image is a cattleya hybrid pictured at Keukkenhof, Holland. Then follows a gallery with some old and new favourites, from close-ups to macros and from Spring to Autumn. From forest to garden and indoors plants. I hope they will speak for themselves.

Special thanks to our guest host Sarah Wilkie of Travel With Me for the exercise of picking out three of our favorite images. And thank you to all our wonderful July guest hosts, Aletta, Jez, Andre and Tracy. If you join us, please link to Anne’s original post and use the lens artists tag. We’re looking forward to seeing your photos! As the LAPC team resumes rotation, Patti will present next week’s challenge. In the meantime, have fun and safe travels.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

LAPC #210 – Picking Favourites

/ Leya / 50 kommentarer

Sarah of Travel with me is our guest host this week, and she says:

”I want to ask you all to join me in sharing three of what you consider to be among your very best shots. This exercise will really test your ability to be self-critical, as it has mine. Look into your archives and apply your most critical eye; play ‘judge’ and try to look dispassionately at your images.”

Sarah asks us to pick out three that stand out as particular favourites, and three from different genres. The genres are up to us to decide: macro, wildlife, street, landscape, architecture. Anything goes, but ”each must be an image you are proud of.”

Not easily done this picking…and I sneaked in a header photo as well…hope you don’t mind, Sarah! But, I made it fairly easy for myself by picking the two award winning images I have, in genres I love, macro and nature – trees. But let’s start with the third image, from 2016:

This favourite is from the Fluela Pass in Switzerland. I have showed it many times, but never tire of it. Also a pleasant surprise as there was no reflection when we passed here in the morning – then this magic appeared when we went back the same road. The people in the image shows the very size of the landscape, and I love the feeling of an endless mountain range disappearing into the blue sky. I remember the difficulty in getting it all inside the frame…a vast landscape and a difficult angle.

This Epiphyllum cactus, in Sweden called Princess of the Night, is a gem. This is her first flower, a warm summer night in 2016. And how we stayed up late, waiting for the wonder to happen! 25 cm of magic, only lasting for a few hours. This photo was taken with my phone, but won a medal of honour and a place in our Nordic photo competition that year. It is in their yearly book of best photos as well.

It was my first competition – I generally don’t send photos to competitions… and I was happy and proud. I think that magical night and the first time I saw the beautiful flower unfold, will stay with me forever.

This image (from the Autumn of 2018) of my favourite beech tree is very precious to me. The photo was taken before the great storms and the heavy snowfall last year, so the tree is intact in this image. Some of his big branches are gone now.

Not much to be seen of the tree in the picture, but that thrills the imagination of the viewer. We understand that the size of the tree must be huge – look at the texture of the trunk and the long, horisontal branches. He is hundreds of years old, and more than 30 meters high, standing alone in an open meadow. I also love the view of the birch trees and the beeches taken under his wings… Because I imagine he is a he – and he is keeping an eye on us all. We usually talk at least once a week.

Being an award winner too, and the only photo of mine sitting on my wall – I have to pick this one. Getting it printed on canvas was part of the prize, and the reason for me to participate was the story of a favourite tree, as trees are my passion. The host was a national park.

If I try to summarize…I can see that I photograph more with my heart than with camera and lens. Strong memories and precious moments I treasure the most. I want the image to reveal my emotions – and to stir yours. I have several thousands of photos collected throughout the years…but the best ones have sprung out of special moments where my feelings shine through.

Special thanks too to Tracy for hosting that interesting Surrealism challenge last week and to everyone who joined in; it was great to see the variety of responses! Anne will be our host next week, Saturday, August 6. Her intriguing theme will be What’s Your Photographic Groove.

Until then, stay safe and cool – and be kind.

LAPC# 209…Surreal

/ Leya / 58 kommentarer

Tracy of Reflections of An Untidy Mind, is leading us this week into the Surreal world. Because that is what our world seems to have turned into, even more so the last few years…

About a century ago, at another time of great societal upheaval, surrealism as an artistic and intellectual movement emerged. Tracy reminds us that modern surrealistic art strives to unite fantasy and reality, and emphasises the juxtaposition of the rational and the irrational. She mentions old techniques like motion blur, unusual camera angles and rotation; double-exposure; playing with light and colour. With Photoshop photo montages and collages have become easier to do. No photoshop? – just cut some pictures and put them together as you like! Please visit Tracy’s site for excellent inspiration!

Personally, I find reality to be surreal even without photoshop…

The shadow of a dragonfly in my window – in B&W even more surreal.

In my garden I have a couple of dead trees that I want to keep for their special beauty and for all the insects living there. Autumn mornings the dew reveals just how many spiders there are…this is enhanced by the monochrome process.

A bathroom in Stettin – playing with mirrors and reflections.

My camera has got a button for double exposure – maybe yours too? And I love playing around with it at times. When I have taken a photo I can take another one afterwards and dimly see the first photo while positioning the lens for a fun result.

Surreal? Simply an umbrella with inside pattern!

At Wanås this art installation does not need any extra tweaks…this is the way it looks. Simply surreal!

And why not go close-up? This is a begonia stem and a christmas tree candle.

Or just…late evening blur.

In the header is a blurred cow parsley in front of the trees. Aliens landing or leaving?

Special thanks to Andre of My Blog-Solaner and to all of those who responded to his Summer Vibes challenge last week. What a summery riot of colour, blue skies and seas we had! Next week, Sarah Wilkie, blogging at Travel with Me, will be our guest host. Sarah’s theme is Three Favorite Images.

”It is time now to create some marvellous surrealism mayhem with photos that we can all enjoy no matter what sort of day we might be having.” (Tracy says) We look forward to seeing your responses. Please remember to link them to Tracy’s original post, and to use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you. Until then, please stay safe and be kind.

LACP#208 – Summer Vibes – It’s always summer somewhere!

/ Leya / 67 kommentarer

Andre’ of Solander is our guest host, and wants us to show our favorite activity (yes, chilling is also accepted as an activity in this context) in summer. Please visit his blog for more inspiration!

Summer vibes starts in my own garden – where the little yellow flowers make a golden carpet to the tunes of humming bees. We never cut the grass until the flowers are ready to go.

The vacation we often need is freedom from our own mind.
– Jack Adam Weber

And they stay for weeks, I am sure it’s just to make my heart jump with joy!

Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
– William Shakespeare

Early mornings and late evenings are alive with summer vibes – the backlit geraniums’ gracefully dance for my camera eye. Flower photography is a passion with me.

It’s summer and time for wandering…
– Kellie Elmore

June is a lovely month for hiking…another favourite activity. (And I chose this walk by the sea, because we never go to the sea during the dark time of the year.)

I always make sure to choose good company. If I feel I need any company at all…

Swedish ”fika” is a must. And outdoors a summer privilege. My mother and I always had one on our long walks. And the children loved it.

By 4pm, the dark clouds are marching in – but most of us are prepared for a heavy shower.
Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.
– Van Morrison

Spending a quiet moment at the beach when the rain has passed. Silent and refreshing.

But tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.
– The Beatles

The lady flowers unfold and shine again with the warming sun…

And the sea – knows how to rest.

Summer vibes in short would be, flowers, photography, hiking, fika – and spending time by the sea.

Many thanks to Andre for guest hosting this week and for giving us the opportunity to share some “summer vibes”. Please link your response to his original here and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Jez for last week’s Seeing Double challenge. Your responses included wonderful moments captured forever. We hope you’ll join us again next week when Tracy challenges us with “Surrealism” on “Reflections of an Untidy Mind”. She’ll be followed by the last of our July Guest Hosts, Sarah of “Travel With Me” who will invite us to share three favorite images. Finally, the Lens-Artists team will return in August, when Anne will lead us with her “What’s Your Photography Groove” challenge. Until then, as always please stay safe and be kind.

Interested in joining the Lens-Artists challenge? Click here for more information.

LAPC#207 – Seeing Double

/ Leya / 60 kommentarer

Welcome Jez, our guest host this week – and the theme is all about reflections. Please go to his site for marvelous inspiration – and Lensy of course…

I love reflections too, and when I looted my reservoir of memories, I found this one from a travel to Tibet. We had to go by train from Beijing, and when walking the city centre, a lovely lantern caught my eye.

The first thing I thought about, was reflections from the Amazon basin. Our canoeing through the djungle every day, searching for anacondas, cajmans, lizards, sloths, monkeys and birds. The silence and the dense forest with all its sounds (!) was an unforgettable experience.

Autumn in Sweden also makes for canoeing and colourful experiences. Sometimes so intense for short glimpses, that you just have to photograph it even if you don’t have a managable angle. Incredible light.

Then again, days of mist make beautiful, dreamy images. I used to pass this old mill every day on my way to work – but often I stopped to walk for some minutes, contemplating the beauty of this worn building. I know she is an old lady, ageing beautifully and admiring her reflection in the water.

Somewhere in Spain – and there is a red car driving on the bridge…

Art is of course a great possibility for seeing double – a contemplating man and…

Yayoi Kusama in Denmark

More of Denmark – a new complex built with different reflections…even the sky fits in.

In Denmark some years ago, celebrating my birthday. Mirror fun.

Seeing double is all about reflections – easily made into a photographic obsession. Jez wants any reflections we come across; landscapes, cityscapes or chance ones in a puddle. We are looking forward to seeing all your entries!

Last week’s responses to Aletta, Now At Home, with her challenge of Treasures, were fantastic. So many amazing and varied examples. Next week it’ll be Andre of My Blog–Solaner, thinking about Summer Vibes, so make sure you get over to his site for inpiration.

The rest of July:

July 23 – Tracy, who posts at Reflections of an Untidy Mind, has chosen Surrealism.

July 30 – Sarah Wilkie, who hosts Travel with Me, asks you to share Three Favorite Images.

A new challenge prompt is posted each Saturday at noon EST. If you’re new to the challenge, click here for more info.

Please link to the original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. And, as always – stay safe and kind.

LAPC #206 – Treasures

/ Leya / 66 kommentarer

This week, we invite you to share what you treasure. Our first Guest Host for July, Aletta, is asking us to share our treasures. If you read my blog sometimes, I am sure you know some of my treasures already – they are many, just like yours, but these are my most treasured treasures:

Everything nature …

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

– Hans Christian Andersen

My number one friend, Milo…

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

– Roger Caras, author of A Dog Is Listening: The Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us

And of course my funny family –

A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

– George Bernard Shaw

Since some weeks now, I have to add a new sweet treasure to my family – my first grandchild – Myra.

Children are the keys of paradise.

– Eric Hoffer

Never sleepy, always alert – so, this is the first time I have seen her yawning properly!

Please visit Aletta’s wonderful post for more inspiration, and if joining us, remember to link back to it and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find you.

Last week we focused on eyes and the responses we had were fun and very diverse. Continuing the tradition of inviting Guest Hosts during the month of July, next week is Jez Braithwaite’s turn with Seeing Double as his challenge. Be sure to take a look on Saturday 9th of July.

Posted for Aletta’s Lens-Artists Challenge

LAPC #205 – The Eyes Have it

/ Leya / 41 kommentarer

Tina invites us this week to share moments of eye contact – but, as I seldom do portraits…I decided to concentrate on the moment of contact – and love. This will include some precious moments with animals as well. And why not plants? We all depend on each other to make planet Earth survive.

An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.

– Martin Buber

First out are my children, whose eyes are not at all visible here…but I believe their smiles speak for them. I hope the other pictures speak for themselves…but I will give you some key names :

Cheers to Aleksandr in Georgia! Young Milo charming us all; Dearest mother with her caring green eyes; Arthur and Michael – inseparable after meeting each other in the Ecuadorian jungle (theirs is a story made into a book and right now into a movie); my granddaughter, Myra, and her father (wonderful contact already); and lastly, my most admired couple nextdoor, Birgit and Nils (91 and 92, still planting, biking, walking, sowing (the embroidered wall decoration and the bench pad made by her hands), puzzling, baking, chatting and – oh to be that active and creative late in life!), still holding hands after a whole life together. ♥

I see so much love in these pictures, in the eyes, in the contact, in new life as well as old life. Let Love into your eyes and you will be rewarded in your heart.

The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconscious but still a faithful interpreter – in the eye.

– Charlotte Brontë

I hope you’ve enjoyed my collection of eyes catching others’ eyes, and now I’m looking forward to seeing yours. Please remember to link your responses to Tina’s original, and to use the Lens-Artists tag to make it easier for all of us to find you. Special thanks to Sylvia for guest hosting last week’s Doors/Doorways challenge, and to you for your terrific responses.

Next week we’ll continue the Lens-Artists’ summer tradition of inviting several talented guest hosts to present our July challenges.  We’re sharing their themes in advance and hoping you’ll join us in the coming weeks.  They are:

July 02 – Aletta Crouse of Now at Home is focusing on Treasures.

July 09 – Jez Braithwaite of Photos by Jez is Seeing Double.

July 16 – Andre of My Blog–Solaner is thinking about Summer Vibes.

July 23 – Tracy, who posts at Reflections of an Untidy Mind, has chosen Surrealism.

July 30 – Sarah Wilkie, who hosts Travel with Me, asks you to share Three Favorite Images.

We invite you to check out their diverse and interesting blogs and hope you’ll join us throughout July. The Lens-Artists team will be back in August when Anne will host her challenge – What’s Your Groove. Until then, as always, please stay safe and be kind.

Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.