Lens-Artists #292 – People Here, There & Everywhere
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
Desmond Tutu
Like many of us, I’ve been fascinated by the people I’ve encountered throughout my many travels although I’m a bit shy about photographing strangers. So this week, our challenge is to share images of the people we’ve captured along the way. Travel notwithstanding, as photographers we are often called upon for family photos. As such, I’ve opened with a favorite image of my niece and her two adorable daughters captured during their visit with us last summer. The rest of today’s images are personal favorites from our many adventures.
As I travel, I am especially drawn to those I would never encounter in daily life. Clearly that’s true for the following set of images. I was particularly obsessed with the many monks in Cambodia, and worked hard to capture them as they carried on in their everyday activities.
“The only way to build a meaningful life is to filter out the noise and look within. This is the first step to build your monk mind.”
Jay Shetty
Sometimes it can be interesting to photograph people from the back, which I chose to do in the two images that follow. I was pleased when the second image was selected by A Hong Kong-based tour company for inclusion in their China travel brochure.
“Sometimes life has a way of putting us on our backs to force us to look up.”
Charles L. Allen
There are times when photographing people in color works beautifully, but others when monochrome is a better choice. For the two image sets that follow, I’ve included both options to illustrate the point. For me the color in the original images is a distraction from the essence of the subjects. What do you think?
“Full-color images lack the poignancy of monochrome.”
Peter Bunnell
Interestingly, I chose the images before finding the quotation above. According to the NY Times, Peter Bunnell was “a curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and a professor at Princeton University who pushed museums and art historians to take photography seriously.” Poignancy was a key element of the images I chose for the illustration. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the collage that follows features some of the happiest people I’ve encountered in my travels – each of whom comes through in vibrant color.
“Art.. brings back smiles and memories..showing the beauty of the world.”
Lakshman Iyer
Sometimes color is actually the element that captures our attention. In the image below, I did not position the child, I simply noticed him perfectly set within a marvelous color combination. He was still as a statue until his mom joined him. Serious serendipity!
“Working in color is an additional ingredient in the juggling act of making an interesting photograph.“
Jeff Mermelstein
Finally, I’ll close with two examples of subjects happily posing to show pride in their work and joy in the task at hand.
“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word—excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.”
Pearl S. Buck
I enjoyed my stroll down memory lane as I chose the images for today’s post, and hope you’ll feel the same. Remember to link your responses to my post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. We offer our sincere thanks to all of our followers for continuing to join us, and to Patti for last week’s beautiful Cityscape challenge. What an amazing world tour we took through your responses! Finally, as always we invite you to join us next Saturday at noon EDT when Sofia leads us once again on her beautiful Photographias site. Until then please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.
Lens-Artists Challenge #291 – Cityscapes
“We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us.”
Winston Churchill
Interestingly, this week Patti has challenged us to share some cityscapes. Coincidentally my husband and I spent last week in New York City, with perhaps as many cityscapes as anywhere in the world! Sadly, the weather was especially uncooperative so my images are cloudy and/or wet, but it became my opportunity to capture the city in a different way. I’ve opened above with the view from my window, centered around the very tall and uber-expensive residential building known as 111 Murray Street.
“You are trying to capture the fog, and no one can do that.”
Patrick D. Smith
Under murky skies, we ventured out for long walks before the clouds opened and torrential rain followed. Along the Hudson we could see at least parts of the buildings on the New Jersey side, a tiny bird on one of the pilings, and off in the distance on the left, the Statue of Liberty. New York has done a terrific job of lining the river with walking/running paths, children’s playgrounds, tennis courts, pleasure and ferry boat docks and other places of interest. We were among many others taking advantage of the sights each morning.
“The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts.”
Michael Bloomberg
Our walks included a visit to the World Trade Center site, now a beautifully-designed memorial to those lost as well as a thriving area for business, tourists and of course shoppers. Each time I visit I’m hoping to grow more fond of the Oculus (center, above). It sits like a large bird in the center of the surrounding skyscrapers, wings spread for flight. Sadly, like many others, I am not a fan. While the interior is magnificent, I find the exterior jarring and out of place. On the other hand, the image below shows the magnificent interior of the newest building in the area, the amazing Perelman Center for Performing Arts.
“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”
Frank Gehry
I’m including a final set of cityscapes from the city that never sleeps. On the left, the always busy Broadway, aka the Great White Way. The teeming rain that arrived within moments of capturing the image did nothing to dampen our spirits as we headed back following a fun theatre performance featuring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. On the right, I’ve captured a nighttime image of the iconic Woolworth building, once considered a skyscraper, now a bit “far from the maddening crowd”.
“I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps…New York, New York”
John Kander and Fred Ebb
Last but never least, a brilliant sunset welcomed us back home to South Carolina.
“I regarded home as a place I left behind in order to come back to it afterward.”
Ernest Hemingway
Sincere thanks to Patti for the opportunity to share an atypical visit filled with soggy cityscapes in the Big Apple. We look forward to seeing your responses and expect a week of terrific world views! Please be sure to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you, and to link your response to Patti’s beautiful original here. Thanks also to Ann-Christine for her fun circular challenge, and especially for covering for me during our travels. Your response were beautifully creative and I enjoyed catching up with everyone as I traveled. Apologies to anyone I may have missed along the way. Finally we hope you’ll join us next week as I lead the challenge here on Travels and Trifles. In the meanwhile, as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Lens-Artists Challenge #290 – Circular Wonders
“Will it go round in circles…”
Billy Preston
This week Ann-Christine invites us to share the wonder of circles – which, it seems, are everywhere! I decided to take a walk to look for some new, local circles and my opening collage highlights some of my results. Except for the bocci balls all of the items in the collage were captured for today’s challenge. The circle in the bottom center is a plaque that is mounted on the mailbox of any resident who meets the ecological challenges set by the Kiawah Conservancy. You’d be surprised at how many of us meet their challenge! The image that follows captures some of the beauty of Chihuly glass – how nice of him to offer us a circular design just for this week’s challenge 😊 (or not!).
“It is possible to walk, like Alice, through a looking glass and find another kind of world with the camera.”
Another amazing circular wonder was directly outside our window as we explored Seattle with some very good friends. The ferris wheel was huge and the little lamppost adds a nice circular feature to the image. Interestingly the perspective of the image makes the lamppost appear much larger than it was, and the ferris wheel smaller.
“Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Be inspired.”
Mark Power
I’m including the next image, although I’ve used it on the blog several times before, for two reasons. First it’s one of my all-time favorite images, and second because it’s perfect fit for this week’s challenge. Sorry, I couldn’t resist!
“Working in color is an additional ingredient in the juggling act of making an interesting photograph.”
Jeff Mermelstein
The next two images were captured during our travels as well. While the circles did draw my attention, I was also drawn to the textures and tones in both examples.
“Photographs testify to the relentless effacements of time.”
John Rosenthal
Last but not least, some interesting circles from China.
“Life is fun. You’ve got the pictures to prove it.”
Anonymous
Many thanks to Ann-Christine, especially for covering for me as my husband and I do a bit of traveling this week. Be sure to link to her beautiful post here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to John for last week’s focus on some Important tools of photo composition. As always, you rose to the challenge and then some! We hope you’ll join us again next week when Patti leads our challenge. Until then please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Lens-Artists Challenge #289 – Photo Composition Tools
“Seeing shapes and colours without the burden of thinking about what they are will liberate your creative mind.”
Philippa Stanton
This week John challenges us to focus on some key elements of photo composition. I’ve compiled my response using images from our visit to Scotland, which presented me with a wealth of options. In my opening image I was drawn to the round shapes but also loved the angles and vertical shapes that surrounded them. I also liked the contrast of the smooth pipes next to the texture of the brick walls. Further illustrating texture, the image below captures that of an ancient stone bridge surrounded by beautiful flowers in full bloom.
“Let your imagination bloom in a riot of color.”
Vera Nazarian
One of my favorite images from Scotland follows, capturing a silhouette of multiple spires in the evening sky over Edinburgh. The spires’ shapes combine with the twilight to form a lovely, calming impression of the very busy city below.
“A photographers work is given shape and style by his personal vision.”
Pete Turner
Another of the elements John mentions is form – which is a bit different from shape. According to Elements of Art in Photography “how we light an object can determine whether it’s perceived as a shape (if the lighting is flat or silhouetted) or a form ( if the lighting has accentuated shadows & highlights to create depth)”. Following that line of thought, I’ve chosen the image that follows as an example of the latter, as well as an example of texture.
“The rules of composition are important, but the idea is to learn them and then break them.”
David Alan Harvey
A more definitive example of textures is demonstrated in the image below. As we were boarding a ship heading to the beautiful Isle of Skye, I captured this pile of equipment which had been tossed on the pavement for later use by the crew.
“Each picture requires a special composition and every artist treats each picture originally.”
Peter Henry Emerson
I couldn’t resist a capture of the textures and shapes of the image below, although it was the chimney smoke that drew me to photograph the scene.
“…it is usually some incidental detail that heightens the effect of a picture.”
Bill Brandt
I’ll close with a final image that illustrates both shape and texture. It captures my husband as he strolls through a beautifully arched building that features multiple shapes and some wonderfully textured walls.
“The value of composition cannot be overestimated: upon it depends the harmony…”
Gertrude Käsebier
Sincere thanks to John for challenging us with some key concepts. Please remember to link your response to John’s original challenge here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Ritva for last week’s creative window shopping challenge. It was great fun following along with all of the approaches you took, especially when (like me) you’re not much of a shopper to start with! Finally, please join us next Saturday at noon EDT when Ann-Christine leads our challenge. Until then, as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.
Lens-Artists Challenge #288 – Window Shopping
“Bread baking is one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony.”
John Steinbeck
This week Ritva joins us with her first challenge as a member of the Lens-Artists Team, and what a challenge she’s given us! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am not now, nor have I ever been, much of a shopper. The only window I tend to use for shopping is the one on my computer screen. 😊 But as we’ve traveled we’ve come across some windows that called for a capture, such as the one above. I loved the bike and milk cans that spoke to me of more gentle times gone by – and of course the sights and aroma of a wonderful bakery! And no, I didn’t give in to this one although I’d have liked to.
Also from our travels, I’ve chosen to include another example of resisting temptation, – a window display that really tempted my sweet tooth.
“Chocolate is happiness you can eat.”
Ursula Kohaupt
During our visit to Central Europe, I captured this image of shoppers browsing in an indoor shopping mall.
“No matter how hard you try, you cannot plan every detail of a shopping trip, and you never know exactly how it will end up.”
Amanda Ford
While my three opening images were captured during our European travels, the image below is from much closer to home. We are fortunate that our families are only a short plane ride away, and of equal importance that they live in interesting places. Clearly this scene comes from New York City and is meant to attract tourists with a treasure trove of miscellaneous ‘Big Apple” logo paraphernalia. Happily I can say I was not tempted.
“Why do things cost what they do in New York? How am I expected to survive here?”
Mary H K Choi
Windows that feature food obviously call my name as we travel. In Provence there is no such thing as a bad meal (at least as far as I can tell!). The image that follows features some of the delicacies that make it so wonderful.
“For some, shopping is an art; for others, it’s a sport…Some love it. Some hate it. Rarely is someone indifferent.”
Pamela Klaffke
Farther afield, in Israel these adorable children’s boots drew me in with their colorful patterns. They also looked totally impervious to moisture, especially of that of a “stomp in a puddle” variety. 😊
“It’s fun to put on the boots and makeup and act like a tough girl”
Alicia Silverstone
Last but never least, from our visit to China, a young couple strolls along a colorful side street, seemingly having found something that piqued their interest.
“There’s different shopping in Paris than there is at a bazaar in Istanbul, but they’re all wonderful.”
Iris Apfel
That about does it for my interpretation of this week’s challenge. Apparently I’m more interested in OTHER people window shopping than in doing it myself (unless, apparently, there is food involved!). Sincere thanks to Ritva for her uber-interesting challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing this week’s creativity. Please be sure to link your responses to her challenge here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Donna for last week’s inventive Sound challenge. She made us all think a bit harder than usual so kudos to her and to you for such an interesting week! Finally, we hope you’ll join us next Saturday at noon EST when John will once again lead our challenge on his Journeys with Johnbo site. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.
Note: today’s header is an image of a shop window for ladies’ clothing which was meant to honor the Queen’s love of corgis. I captured it to share with a friend who also adores them.
Lens-Artists Challenge #287 – Sound
“The hills are alive with the sound of music.”
Rodgers and Hammerstein
This week Donna challenges us to illustrate Sound – which I will admit threw me for a bit of a loop as I thought…how does one illustrate sound? But of course once I spent a few minutes with my archives it turned out there were many images from which to choose. My header this week features the roar of Victoria Falls captured from a helicopter during our visit to Zimbabwe. The opening image above includes a few musical sounds, all focused on fiddles. The woman on the left was entertaining only herself in an open field overlooking the Pacific in California. On the top right – I captured the leader of a musical parade in Boulbon, France, and the little frog at the bottom welcomes visitors at nearby Magnolia Plantation. The sound of music can soothe the soul, warm the heart, and cause even a metal frog to smile. What could be better? Well, perhaps the sound of a blackbird, singing simply for the love of the song.
“It’s possible that birds may sing just for the joy of it.”
Kyo Maclear
The sound of music is something we experience from our earliest days – whether sung by a loving parent, playing in an overhead mobile, or perhaps hummed by an adoring grandparent. As babies become children, their fascination with sound and music continues. I captured this little fellow in a shop in China, happily playing away on the little drums in an instrument display.
“Ah, music…A magic beyond all we do here!”
J.K. Rowling
Perhaps a bit less obvious, the sounds made by a worker hammering metal into shapes that may become jewelry, or a door latch, or just about anything one might imagine – including the image that follows this one.
“The greatest tool at our command is the very thing that is photography. Light.”
Laura Gilpin
We spotted the lovely wind chimes below in a shop we came across during our travels in the Far East. We’ve learned to bring home images of our favorite finds rather than purchases with very few exceptions. Otherwise, as they say, we’d be stuffing our 10 pounds of purchases into a 5 pound bag. In this case however, I wish I’d given in to the temptation. I hadn’t noticed the dragonfly etchings until I saw the image. They are quite common here on Kiawah and symbolize good luck and/or personal growth.
“The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers.”
Matsuo Basho
Like many photographers, I find beauty in things that show their age, especially those created by craftspersons. The image that follows is one such object. Also from the Far East, the simplicity of the weathered door and its knocker drew my eye. I like to think it’s been in place for decades, perhaps even centuries. In any case, it surely has a distinctive sound.
“Knowledge unlocks the door to the mysteries of our mistakes; wisdom guides us away from repeating them”.
Evinda Lepins
Our thanks to Donna for such an interesting challenge, which after my initial reaction led to a fun exercise in searching for ways to illustrate sound through images. Be sure to visit and link to her wonderfully creative post here, and remember to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Anne for last week’s fun weather challenge. Your responses offered terrific variety and beautiful illustrations of the topic. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next Saturday at noon EST when Ritva takes the lead. Until then, as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Note: If you’ve ever encountered a great blue heron, you’ve probably heard the huge squawking sound it makes when disturbed. For those who followed her, I include my image above as a closing nod to Babsje. May she rest in peace.
Lens-Artists Challenge #286 – Weather
“Withstanding the cold develops vigor for the relaxing days of spring and summer.”
Arthur C. Crandall
This week Anne leads us with a look at the weather – ever a topic for discussion no matter the time of year! Here on Kiawah winter is happily short-lived but now and then even we are subject to its wrath. Fortunately, despite the very occasional blast of snow or ice, more tolerable weather soon returns. Here, winter’s cold is an occasion for photography and joyful exploration of nature’s beauty as happily it never lasts long enough to really impact our lives. Above, I’ve included images from 2 of the very few wintry scenes I’ve experienced since moving south some 20+ years ago.
Another thing we seem to see less of here on Kiawah is fog. When we do see it, again it’s more positive than negative and typically I’ll head out with my camera to capture the moodiness it creates.
“Then came the first hint of fog, all silver and gold, and then more and more, turning grey and blue.”
Chiara Kilian
Of course when one speaks of weather there is always a thought of rain – sometimes gentle, other times teeming and harsh and occasionally, especially here on the coast, driven by hurricane winds. Depending on one’s mood, rain can be just the ticket for a peaceful read by the fire or it can be the ruination of your best-laid plans. Or both 😊!
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
Vivian Greene
Speaking of storms, we’ve had our share of them here on Kiawah. Despite several hurricanes we’ve never experienced any major issues. Our most recent storm earlier this year battered our beach at high tide, and the ocean’s wrath carved huge chunks from the dunes. Fortunately there was no irreparable damage and the beach will replenish itself over time as it always does. In the images below I’ve included a recent storm as it approached our beach here on Kiawah as well as my only image of a lightning strike, captured years ago in the western U.S.
“Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced.”
George R.R. Martin
Last but not least, although I love all kinds of weather there really is nothing better than a beautiful day filled with sunshine and a warm breeze. Here on Kiawah that often means spectacular skies presenting themselves purely to prove there is joy to be found in Mother Nature’s gifts. I’ve chosen three of my favorite examples below, the left-most captured just yesterday during my daily walk.
“I kept thinking about how sky is a singular noun, as if it’s one thing. But the sky isn’t one thing. The sky is everything.”
John Green
Weather….it affects our moods, enriches our earth, offers variety to our days and provides an opportunity to wonder at the beauty of our world. My thanks to Anne for her interesting challenge which caused me to think about its many versions and their effect on those of us who take the time to appreciate it. We hope you’ll join us this week and look forward to seeing your interpretations. Please be sure to link to Anne’s beautiful post here and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Egidio who presented us with his first challenge hosting as a member of our team. We look forward to many more, as well as your as-always creative and interesting responses. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next Saturday when Donna takes the lead on her Wind Kisses post at noon EST. Until then, as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.
Lens-Artists Challenge #285 – Warm Colors
“How lovely yellow is.”
Vincent Van Gogh
This week Egidio has given us a chance to enjoy some warm colors – a perfect opportunity to leave behind the less vibrant shades of winter. I chose to open with a collage of beautifully warm yellow flowers. Somehow their fresh colors are enough to brighten even the dreariest of winter days.
“Colors are the smiles of nature.”
Leigh Hunt
As I put together the collages both above and below I found myself thinking any of the images could represent either sunrise or sunset. Can you guess which are which? Keep reading and I’ll share the answers.
“May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace.”
Umair Siddiqui
In the first triptych, all of the images are from favorite places here in Lowcountry South Carolina. L-Kiawah Island sunset, C-Sunrise during a boat trip to nearby Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary, R-Sunset on the Stono River. In the second triptych just above, all images are from our small-boat cruise through the Inside Passage of Alaska. Top L-Whale fin at Sunset, C bottom-Sunrise while cruising, Top R-Midday sun while passing a dense forest from the ship. Did you guess correctly?!
“However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”
Stanley Kubrick
I’ve closed today’s post with a triptych of artificial lights, offering their own colorful warmth. From the memorial candles on the left, to the Seattle streetlights in the middle, and finishing with the little lanterns from Scottsdale on the right, each represents humankind’s attempts to warm the chill of night with shining lights.
We thank Egidio for the opportunity to generate our own warmth with his challenge this week. Please be sure to link your response to his beautiful post here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Sofia for last week’s Day and Night challenge, and to all those who responded with your own wonderful interpretations. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Anne leads us on her Slow Shutter Speed site. Until then, as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the journey.
Interested in joining our challenge? For more information, click here
Lens-Artists Challenge #284 – Night and Day
“To learn the magic of light, get up before sunrise…and watch.”
Ted Grant
This week Sofia asks us to feature day and night – which I suppose could include most anything 😊. On the other hand, as photographers most of us tend to pay more attention to the beginnings and endings of the days that truly capture our attention. I’ve chosen to share some changing skies of both, although there will probably be far more creative responses which will cause me to wonder “now why didn’t I think of that?!”
For today’s response I’ve chosen to feature only images I’ve made here on Kiawah. My opener comes from a day this past autumn when I was hoping (happily, successfully) to see newborn sea turtles emerging from their nest. That glorious morning offers quite a comparison to the daytime image below, which illustrates the drama of a storm at sea, captured before it reached us not long afterwards.
“When somehow the atmosphere becomes alive with fog, or clouds, or rain, or lightening…that’s the time that great photographs can be made outdoors.”
Brooks Jensen
When we travel I tend to capture sunrise far more frequently, while here on Kiawah I’m more apt to focus on landscapes later in the day. The example below features a view of the Kiawah River as the sun closes in on the end of a beautiful day.
“The camera is a magic window that transforms the world.”
Irving Pobboravsky
I am embarrassed to admit to the number of bird images I’ve collected during my years on Kiawah, as my Lightroom catalog clearly shows. I’ll admit to having, for the most part, had my fill of bird photography but I did find myself surprised and captivated when I came upon the scene that follows. Typically our avian population finds its evening’s respite hidden away from prying eyes and lenses. The sight captured below drew me like a moth to a flame, as I’d never seen such a large population settling in for the night in such an accessible place – and with a reflection no less! A photographer’s dream.
“…start paying attention to birds—to become aware of this magical world that exists all around us, unnoticed by many but totally captivating for those who know its secrets.“
Ken Kaufman
Finally, I’ve included two images of Kiawah’s night skies. In the first I was captivated by the moonlight shining across the water and into the grasses. I also loved that the birds (there they are again!!) were peacefully grazing in the moonlight. The second resulted from an interesting session with some fellow photographers as we all practiced shooting the night’s stars. Sadly, I learned of my camera’s defective timer for long exposures but happily I was still able to capture the beauty of the evening.
“The moon develops the imagination, as chemicals develop photographic images.”
Sheila Ballantyne
“In our fast-paced, modern world, it’s a luxury to be able to watch the stars move across the sky.”
Michael Kenna
We hope you’ll visit Sofia’s beautiful post this week for an inspiring look at day and night from her perspective. Please remember to link your own interpretations to her post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. We look forward to seeing what you come up with. We offer thanks to Ann-Christine for last week’s creative challenge, as well as to all those who responded with their photographic interpretations of quotes and poetry – what an interesting and varied set of responses you shared! Finally, we hope you’ll join us again next week as Egidio challenges us to demonstrate Warm Colors. Until then, as always please stay safe, be kind, and enjoy the journey.
Interested in joining our challenge? For more information, click here
Lens-Artists Challenge #283 – Illustrate a Favorite Poem or Quote
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”
Maya Angelou
This week Ann-Christine has given us a wonderful challenge. She’s asked us to illustrate a favorite quote or poem with 4 or fewer images. As you can see above, I’ve chosen a quote by Maya Angelou. For me it captures one of the most important elements of travel, the opening of our eyes and hearts to see that people are people everywhere. We may speak different languages, dress differently and have different politics but at heart the differences are far fewer. In my opening image for example, we had traveled to Jordan to visit Petra and Wadi Rum. I was a bit nervous about interacting with Arabs as I’d never met any here in the U.S. Happily, all of the Jordanians we met were warm and welcoming, including the three above. I approached them very timidly to ask for permission to photograph them and the result, as you can see, was a warm and funny exchange that both surprised and delighted me. It’s one of many very fond memories of that experience.
My second image above is from a very remote region in China. Our news here in the U.S. is focused on the areas where, as countries, we disagree. I will leave the politics to the politicians, but like the Arabs I featured earlier, we found the people in China to be warm, friendly, and very inquisitive about Americans. When I asked the two young ladies if I could take their photo they said of course but only if you will take one WITH us. They’d never met an American and were as curious about me as I was about them. I might add that while traveling in remote areas as above or below, I may pay a bit less attention to looking my best 😊 need I say more?!
While traveling in South America’s Patagonia, my good friend Jane and I left our husbands to their own devices as we made the very famous 6-hour hike to the Laguna de Los Tres in El Chalten. She and I have laughed until we cried about our experience that day, which is one of my fondest memories. The hike was spectacular as, I might add, was our guide – shown with us in the image above. The incredible wind storm that met us at the top of the hike did nothing to diminish the exhilaration of the experience.
My final image represents another of my favorite travel experiences. Our first guide in Africa, who met us as we arrived in Botswana, was one of the nicest, most knowledgeable, warmest people I’ve ever met. His enthusiasm for his life, his country, the many creatures we were to observe, and for providing us with the best possible experience, made an already-unforgettable experience even more so. In fact I used some of my images from that trip to create a children’s book called Ezekiel and the Elephants. I caught up with him many years later, still guiding in Africa. His was the most infectious smile I’ve ever encountered, and to this day I too find a smile whenever I think of him. I was happy to let him know that through my book, each of my nieces and nephews and all of their children have grown up knowing and loving him, just as we did.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my short stroll down memory lane along with my quote interpretation. My travel has meant more to me than simply visiting places around our amazing world, it’s been an education about the people with whom we share it. I look forward to seeing your choices this week, and thank Ann-Christine for such a meaningful challenge. Be sure to link to her beautiful post here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to Patti for last week’s Dramatic challenge, and to all those who responded with your beautiful images. Next week Sofia will lead us, so be sure to check her post next Saturday at noon EST. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind, and enjoy the journey.
Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.
Travels and Trifles 