Lens-Artists Challenge #103 – SURPRISE
WORLD OF WONDER
“The best part of the journey is the surprise and wonder along the way.”
Ken Poirot
This week Ann-Christine challenges us to share images of things that surprise us. I must admit it occurred to me that if something really surprises us, we’re unlikely to have camera in hand to capture the moment. That said, I set out this week to find at least a few examples. In my opening image, while beach walking with a good friend (camera in hand) I was surprised to see this adorable little one all by herself apparently pondering the majesty of Kiawah’s beautiful seascape. Now THAT is my idea of a perfect pandemic moment.
“The most pleasant surprise is to get lost in the beauty of life.”
Debasihs Mridha
Yet another moment of true surprise occurred as I was playing golf with some friends on one of our local Kiawah courses. As we were walking between two marsh-front holes I happened to notice two young guys on paddle boards going by in the creek. In this case I did NOT have my camera but I did have my trusty iphone (as always, the best camera is the one you have with you!) and I captured them as they paddled by. It’s certainly not something one would expect to see on the golf course.
IN THE PINK
“The more you try to control the world, the less magic you get. It’s really about being open and surprised.”
Larry Sultan
Yet another golfing surprise came in the form of the lovely pink wildflowers shown in the image above. It’s often said that the best golfers are able to notice the beauty around them, enjoying the day as well as the game. This is definitely NOT my usual strength! Again it was iPhone to the rescue as I walked by this lovely natural landscape in the marsh beyond the course. Candidly, I was surprised not only by the beauty of the day, but also by how much I enjoyed combining the game with paying greater attention to the abundance of nature’s gifts.
AFTER THE STORM
“The photographer reminds us that the actual world is full of surprise, which is precisely what most people tend to forget.”
John Rosenthal
My final image represents several surprises. First, it is a reminder of last week’s unexpected and surprisingly violent storm. Second it shows us one of nature’s most lovely gifts, the surprise of a rainbow after the storm. Third, and to me most surprising, I am NOT the photographer who captured the truly lovely image. A good friend with whom I golfed several times this week made the image from her back yard with her iPhone. She and I had laughed several times at my frustration with trying to find surprising captures. When she told me she’d taken the rainbow image the evening before our game I jumped on the opportunity to share her result. The surprise is that I have never before included anyone’s images other than my own, but as they say, there’s a first time for everything! So thanks Dar, for helping me with this week’s post. 😀
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Finally, the Lens-Artists team has a special “Surprise” for July. We will be hosting the theme “Seasons” for the entire month and are announcing the sequence in advance. The schedule will be:
- July 4 Amy brings us Summer;
- July 11 Spring will be hosted here on Travels and Trifles
- July 18 Patti will host Autumn/Fall
- July 25 Ann-Christine will close out the event with Winter
We hope you’ll join us with your own surprises this week – remember to link to Ann-Christine’s original post here. As always, our thanks for your continued support. Stay safe out there!
Travels and Trifles 
Ya know…it’s always an honor to be a FLY on your lens!!! these are wonderful shots of moments that i might otherwise had overlooked….thank u for your words of being present…i try to learn this through my years of YOGA…it is not an easy task…but perhaps a tad easier in our isolation!!
🙂