Lens-Artists Challenge #374—On the Move!

Captures from Finland, lens-artists, Photography

How do you travel? Where do you go? Share photos of your favorite ways to be “On the Move!” You can find his very thorough introduction to the challenge here  Johnbo .

Travel first thought was airplanes, automobiles, and trains, all symbols of movement across vast distances and gateways to new experiences. I’ll post photos of them to capture their majestic presence and the adventures they facilitate. Not this time, however! Instead, I wanted to take simple approach to this – one drive home.

A vibrant sunset reflected in the window of a restaurant, showcasing a neon burger sign.

This perspective struck me while we were driving home from Lahti, a city located about 100km north of our home. The journey was beautiful due to the sunset, adorned with forest, fields and gas stations. What truly captivated my attention was the fact that the sunset we witnessed was a full 10 minutes earlier than the one occurring in Kirkkonummi. This little detail made me reflect on how small variations in geography can significantly change sunset time. Well, anyway, I took a shot from the spot where we paused for a late lunch; the sky was painted in vibrant hues just as the sun was setting at 15:39, marking the time when we started our ride home

Sidenote: I was also looking for shadows 😅 in this square crop. I found a strong contrast shadows in the shot below for NovemberShadows.

A silhouette of a building and chimney against a vibrant sunset sky, capturing a moment from the journey home.

As we started to drive home, we were amazed at how much traffic there was; but compared to some other roads traveled, not that much; everything is relative. Back to this drive: then again, we don’t usually make this drive at this time of the year, so what do we know? One thing I do know is that I love watching the sky and clouds while in the car; today, the sky was colorful and beautiful for most of the drive. The hues of orange, pink, and purple blended seamlessly, painting a breathtaking canvas that caught our attention at every turn. At one point, it was cloudier with a bit of a drizzle, but that phase lasted just a while.

I like being in the car, on the move, going somewhere; it gives a sense of freedom and adventure. I enjoy that, without distraction, we talk more and share stories that we often overlook in the hustle and bustle of daily life. We listen to music; this time it was a Classic Rock mix. We would sing or mumble along to our favorite songs, letting the rhythm of the melodies fill the air, creating a traveling atmosphere. Doing nothing as the world outside passes by, we are lucky enough to observe it together. Stepping out of the topic for a bit, I’ve realized that I hardly listen to music anymore, and when I do it’s mostly in the car. It’s interesting how our lifestyles change and how certain habits fade away over time. Music used to be such a significant part of my routine, from playing my favorite albums at home to discovering new artists while hanging out with friends. Have you noticed that in your life?

A monochromatic view of a busy highway( same shot as below), captured during a road trip home, illustrating the journey and movement amidst nature.
A stunning sunset observed during a drive home, the vibrant colors and cloud formations. The shadows of the trees against the clouds behind them. In this shot I also like how the curve is wet and how the light brings it out
A nighttime view of a busy highway, showcasing the flow of traffic and illuminated road signs.

We appreciate Egidio for leading us back to Lens-Artists Challenge #31. His theme of “Looking Back” opened the door to a wide array of stunning landscapes. Next week, Patti will take over as the host of the challenge, set to launch on Saturday, November 22, at noon Eastern time. Don’t forget to follow her Pilotfish Blog to ensure you catch her challenge announcement.

To wrap this up, the theme is: How do you travel? Where do you go? Share photos of your favorite ways to be “On the Move!” Be sure to link your response to Johns post or leave your link in a comments Also, use the “lens-artists” tag to help people find your post in the Reader. To find out more about responding to Lens-Artists Challenges, check here.

42 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #374—On the Move!”

  1. oh my goodness Ritva, what a fabulous post 😀 Full of light, shapes, colours, some of the scenes painted with words.
    Being able to sing as loud as you want with someone in a car is the best. I used to have music playing all the time when I was on my computer. Have a stack of free CD’s from music magazines I haven’t listened to yet.
    I can see some inspiration to paint one of these coming on. Some of these photos seem to be taken with an artists eye

  2. Those skies are lovely, Ritva. On a much shorter daytime ride home yesterday I was captivated by the cloud formations in our clear blue sky. Constantly changing and beautiful. Sunset arrives early there! It will be at 17.18 here this evening. We always have music on in the car- just our favourite radio channel, and it’s the same at home in the evening, unless there’s something we want to watch on TV xx

  4. Your timing for this challenge is perfect—I, too, feel the lure of the open road. My favorite of your shots is the pair driving into the sunset, in both color and black-and-white. While the sunset hues are lovely, it’s the monochrome version that speaks to me. I especially love how the leading line of the road and the car ahead draw us in, letting us ‘ride around’ the curve as we enjoy the sunset along the way.

  8. I think Margaret hit the nail on the head Ritva – loved your approach and the small changes that can have such an impact on sights and views. You have an amazing eye!

  11. I love the approach you took Ritva. On the move on a drive home. I especially loved your words as you spoke of time chatting, listening to music and creating an adventure that might have been “just a car ride home”. Love it. My favorite photo is of the monochrome busy highway

  13. What a great response to the theme! Great photos you selected, too. I was surprised how dark it was at 4:45 PM. The road monochrome made it look like thin snow. Then, the color version showed a different story. Great post!

  14. I love traveling by car. You see so much. I like the contrast in feel between your B&W shot on the highway and the original one. I liked the entire gallery. It made me want to go somewhere.

  18. This is such a wonderful post, Ritva – pictures in colour and monochrome complimenting each other, and the text, your musings, are music to both ears and eyes. I can so relate to music fading out over the years and the joy of being together in the car, singing and talking. Things we seem to do less nowadays as we both (my husband and I) mostly do whatever we want together with our own friends and our separate hobbies. The feeling of adventure coming when you stepped into the car – that used to be so great!

    Life. Thank you for reviewing and reviving it.

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