For monochrome madness this week is an image from the entrance of
Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea
Category: Photography
Cellpic sunday – Whispers of Birch
I have to admit that lately I have been a lazy photographer, and most of the time I’ve taken photos with my mobile. I have two previous posts about the beauty of summer nights and these were taken the same night. I took these first, then went to get my camera to take better shots of the moon. The iPhone has a great camera, with a RAW option, and you can get great photos with it; even the zoom is okay. But you can also edit and crop the images as a way of enhancing it.
It’s amazing how much the technology in smartphones has advanced, allowing us to capture stunning images without the need for additional equipment. The convenience of having a powerful camera always at hand has certainly made me rely more on my mobile for photography. Despite its compact size, the iPhone truly delivers remarkable image quality, especially in low light conditions. The ability to edit and refine the pictures directly on the device further adds to the appeal of mobile photography, providing a convenient way to enhance the visual impact of the captured moments.
The color of the sky, clouds and mist set such a beautiful view, that I only slightly edited the contrast and light in Lightroom app – nature did the rest.
Whispers of Birch
Birch trees stand sentinel, white and tall, Their leaves a verdant canopy, a gentle sprawl. Mist weaves through their trunks, a spectral dance, As dusk paints the sky in hues of chance.
The evening cradles them in twilight’s hark. Silhouettes against the canvas of fading light, They sway, entwined, in nature’s quiet rite. And there, where fog and foliage converge, A sacred silence settles—a tranquil surge.
So let us linger here, beneath their boughs, Where time suspends, and dreams are allowed. In this ethereal embrace, we find our place, As birch and fog weave magic, leaving no trace.
Lens-Artists Challenge #306 – Habitat
Theme is – Habitat and this week I am going to post images, nothing more nothing less. The theme it is so heartwarming to begin with it does not need works. I just felt joy looking at the images Tina showed us. Such beautiful and moving photos. I hope I will be able at least one smile from you when looking at this post, I just concentrated on animals. I had so much fun looking for these photos. I had to stop, because I found out that I have just few photos 🙂 of animals and as it is, I posted once aging way too many.
Thanks Egídio. He gave us a chance to learn something new, and while we may not have heard of it, we were happy to see that many of us were using it anyway 😊. It’s always exciting to test our skills and knowledge in a friendly challenge like this. The creative solutions and different approaches showcased by the participants were truly inspiring. Egidio’s initiative brought us together to celebrate our passion for learning and growing, and for that, I am truly grateful.
As in previous years, the Lens-Artists team will be on hiatus for the month of July. There will be no challenge on the 6th, but the rest of the month will be led by several amazing Guest Hosts. They include:
July 13: Leanne of Leanne Cole explores TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
July 20: Elizabeth of Alabatz Travel Adventures
July 27: PR of Flights of the Soul presents BALCONIES
The Lens-Artist team will be back on August 3 when Patti once again leads us on her Pilotfish Blog. Until then keep smiling ☺
Looking for more information on joining our challenge? Click here.
Capturing the Ethereal Beauty of the Strawberry Moon
I took these of the strawberry moon, but only now got around to posting them, I shared some taken with my mobile on Instagram, but these I took with my camera.
I was already in bed, all comfortable and ready to go to sleep, when my husband repeatedly said the mist is rising, the mist is even heavier, meaning get up, grab your camera, and take photos. Good on him or I would have missed some lovely midsummer moments.
It was such a serendipitous moment, being snug in bed and then being urged to capture such an ethereal sight. The mist rolling in created an otherworldly ambiance, and combined with the presence of the strawberry moon, it resulted in a truly mesmerizing spectacle.
It’s moments like these that etch memories for a lifetime, and I’m grateful for the nudge that led to these stunning captures.
Were you able to capture or see the strawberry moon in June? The strawberry moon, also known as the June full moon, is a beautiful sight that occurs when the moon is at its fullest and appears with a warm, reddish glow. This phenomenon takes place in the month of June, marking the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. People often gather to witness this remarkable celestial event, and many photographers aim to capture its stunning beauty through their camera lenses. The strawberry moon has cultural significance in various traditions and is a source of inspiration for poets, writers, and artists around the world. So, did you have the chance to admire this enchanting spectacle?
Old vacant building windows
These images of an old vacant building from Tallinn are from ten years back, but now I decided to share them with you. The building itself has quite a history, I am sure, but I do not know it , having served different purposes over the years before being left vacant. The windows, the patterns of peeling paint, weathered wood, and the play of light and shadows.
These windows are my entry for this week for Ludwigs Monday Window challenge, a perfect opportunity to showcase the timeless beauty and mystery captured within these frames.
Sunset is always a treat
Visit to the outhouse around 11 PM, the sun is setting, nothing spectacular, but always a joy to see colors in the sky. The spots on the window, just dirt. Plus, this is an unedited shot, something I rarely post. Live dangerously… 🙂
The header shows the colors at slightly different direction.
This is for Cellpic Sunday and Sunday Stills
Lens-Artists Challenge #304 – Behind
This week is a lesson in paying attention to the background BEHIND your subject, does this not sound like a challenge, but it is, if you really start to focus on it. So, think about different techniques you use to elevate your photos and share them with us.
Backgrounds play an essential role in photography, significantly impacting the overall aesthetic of an image. When composing a photograph, the background serves as the canvas against which the subject stands out. The background provides context and narrative to your photo. How your main subject interacts with the background shapes the story within the frame.
Here are some key considerations: Whether it’s a serene landscape, a bustling city street, or a simple studio backdrop, the background influences the mood and message of the image.
Same cityscape – three backgrounds for the dome.
Different colors evoke specific emotions. For instance, blue backgrounds often convey calmness, while red can evoke passion or energy. Patterns in backgrounds can either enhance or distract from the subject.
Simplicity, achieved through minimal distractions, often yields powerful results. Additionally, controlling depth of field allows you to guide viewers’ attention to specific focal points in both foreground and background.
Remember, a well-chosen background enhances your photo, adding depth and visual interest.
Usually, this means making your background distraction-free. That is often when taking photos we’re laser-focused on our subject: a portrait, a flower, a couple on a bench.
A good background pairing (whether that’s making the background disappear with exposure or blur, or enhancing it with color or story will allow your SUBJECT to shine.
You can pair your subject with a colorful background to match or contrast your background to your subject.
You also may want to keep your background dark, relative to your subject, to allow your subject to pop, or vica versa.
You might want to elevate your photography to another storytelling level by creating a picture within a picture. You would see the main scene up front, but little scenes from the whole story would complement it on the side.
This can be children studying in a classroom, with a detailed scene behind them.
Or boys sitting, watching a document on a screen. Use your “canvas” to portray your entire creative story, from end to end, for both your subject and of course, your background.
Background Blur: Utilize depth of field to blur your background, keeping focus on your subject
Color Harmony: Harmonize or contrast colors between your subject and the background for visual impact.
Darker Background: Adjust exposure to darken the background, spotlighting your subject.
Negative Space: Embrace negative space, using it to highlight your subject against a minimal background.
Last week we stepped into the lovely world of connections with Donna’s beautiful photos to guide us. We were shown lovely interpretations of connection this week. There is always need to be connected…
I am already looking forward to next week’s challenge with Egídio. Join him Saturday 12:00 EST to enjoy his beautiful photography, captured through his Brazilian eyes.
Interested in knowing more about the Lens-Artists challenge? Click here for more information.
I do love a delicious dessert
Busy doors
For Thursday Doors
Busy doors, sitting and watching people come in and out while waiting for my husband to come from his football match
Lens-Artists Challenge #303 – Connections
Connections, Donna wrote so beautifully about this topic and gave such great inspiration as how to approach the challenge, it gave ideas I could not have thought about.
It’s simple.
The connections we make to people, places, things and ideas, are what give purpose and meaning to our lives.
I have photographed this path – road so many times during the 28 summers we have spent here. I have an emotional connection to it. I love to watch how the light and shadows play on it during different times of the day and during different seasons depending on the sun level. It looks totally different in the summer versus autumn. But to the topic, I have a connection to it. I have spent so much time here I’ve watched my boys grow here and be connected to this place, we have moved several times , but our summer place is a constant. We have with our own hands refurbished and built to what it is now our own getaway.
As a child, we lived by the sea. I wandered through forest to be at the seaside, my bare feet sinking into dew-kissed grass on the way. The forest whispered secrets—how to listen, how to observe. I learned the language of birds—their melodies echoing through the canopy of trees. The scent of pine needles and damp earth seeped into my skin, becoming a part of me. The forest next to the sea has its own distinctive scent, I can still remember it.
Spring unfurled delicate blossoms, and I danced with dandelions, their seeds carried away by the wind. Summer brought lovely shades of green, flowers of many colors and light, warm nights. The wonder of light filled nights surprises me every year. You know they come but you are still amazed. Autumn was a symphony of crunching leaves, bright colors, musky scent and soft tones that comes with low light. I am not going to touch winter , I grant you that it can be beautiful, a big but, I do not feel no connection to it. I am connected to my homeland, my roots are here.
Animals and people, the connection so important so comforting, and it unconditional. The comfort of a cat purr at your touch, dog looking at you with trusting eyes, the loyalty of the constant companionship. Animals have an innate ability to understand our emotions, connect with us on a spiritual level, and offer us healing when we need it most. They remind us that we are all connected and to be mindful of our relationship with the natural world.
I am not going to touch the topic of family… too much to say about that. But it is obviously one of the most important connections we have in good and bad. We all have our own story …
Last week we stepped out of reality with John’s challenge, AI. There is always room to learn something new, and John sure gifted us that opportunity, though I was rather reluctant to do so. I am already working on next week’s challenge, you will see what I come up with by checking my blog. Join me Saturday 12:00 EST to find the next challenge.
Interested in knowing more about the Lens-Artists challenge? Click here for more information.
Summer room
Bee happy
Have a great weekend 🐝 be happy 😃
Thursday doors ~ Helsinki
Nothing grand, just few doors and windows Posted for Dan’s Thursday Doors
Lens-Artists Challenge #302 – AI and Photography
John is our hero this week for leading us tp a controversial and rapidly-evolving development in photography. He is challenging us to experiment with AI. For those of you who use any of the Adobe programs, I’m sure you’ve been stunned with the speed of development of AI tools.
Artificial intelligence is already everywhere, not least in photography, where it turns the creation of images on its head. In many photo contests, judges have awarded pictures created with artificial intelligence-based image generators, thinking they are genuine. It’s scary and fascinating at the same time.
I am not in my comfort zone in this challenge, as a serious hobbyist photographer I like to take my own photos and edit them myself to my style.
I used my photo as a starting point, I changed the sky to two different sunsets. One is more believable..
Regarding the edit process, I am comfortable removing distractions and, on occasion, replacing the sky. It is a very delicate process, the art of replacing the sky in a photograph requires a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of light, perspective, and atmosphere. Ensuring that the new sky seamlessly integrates with the rest of the scene, taking into account the direction of the sun, the play of shadows, and the reflections, It’s a meticulous process that, when executed skillfully, can elevate the entire mood and narrative of the photograph, transporting the viewer to a captivating and immersive visual experience. It can easily go wrong.
An other sample of sky edits…original and edited version, can you tell which is which?
The approach I usually take is to carefully frame the shot at the location to naturally exclude most distractions. However, this is not always feasible. In some cases, I am comfortable with the idea of removing objects like garbage cans and electric cables, or even editing out certain branches from the periphery of the image.
For this challenge I was going to try Photoshop to create something, but as my heart was not into it, I got nowhere, but I did get really frustrated. Then I found t Craiyon free site to create these two photo. Prompts: green field set against dark clouds and Lighthouse during a storm.
These two (below) were my first attempts to create anything on word prompts- done with free version on copilot – these came out as illustrations. Not to my taste. Hence my frustration after seeing others create lovely images.
I don’t condemn anyone using AI, but it not for me at least now at least in photography. I strongly believe that something is lost, the soul , the personal touch. I might take it up when my own inspiration is lost, but most likely not. Art is about individual creativity to me.
As an Contemporary digital artist, which I like to label myself (not to be too modest) I can use editing tools to create art, but I do not want a AI to create art on a prompt. These are from my own images. Art is about individual creativity to me.
Thank you, Sofia, for last weeks floral enchantments, the floral inspiration we got was amazing.
The challenge host next week will be Donna, be sure to visit her inspirational site and see what she is up to! If you’d like to participate in the challenge responses each week but aren’t sure how to get started, check here.
Last on the card, May
Last photo on my mobile tLast on the card May
Lilies of the valley
Lilies of the valley are so beautiful and delicate, and yes also poisonous
Dandelion times 4
I took these dandelion shots yesterday and edited them on my phone using Lightroom John’s Cellpic Sunday
Busy 🐝 Bee
For Cee´s Flower of the Day.
Midnight in the summer is magical
For Debbie´s Six Words Saturday
Square 31.5.24
We have reached the end of Becky’s Squares photo challenge, I was distracted by starting a full time job in the middle of it and stopped posting even if I had good intentions to follow the month through. Thanks for this challenge Becky.
Lens-Artists Challenge #301 – Floral
Lens-Artists #301 – Floral hosted by Sofia wrote: I sincerely believe it to be difficult to have photo of a flower that is not beautiful. But for this challenge, I’d like us to think of how we either capture them or how we process the image afterwards.
First I would like to say all my photos for this post are from past week. Somehow it feels like this year we skipped spring all together, we got summer temperatures now and all the flowers are in bloom at the same time. Most of them I’ve taken with my mobile, because last week I felt the camera’s to the summer house in the belief that there would be nothing to photograph, I was wrong. Everything seemed to bloom overnight. and to the how I capture them – mostly close-ups.
I have now real angle this week, my mind is all overloaded with new things and NUMBERs – my least favorite thing .
First here is a look at one tulip. I took a these few days apart, from different directions and I did some editing with lightroom app on my mobile.
The apple tree blossoms beautifully just few days ago and now the really warm weather , not at all normal at this time of the year has wilted them.
random flowers-
Last week Ann-Christine challenged us with the Delicate things, her recent travels to Japan gave us wonderful inspiration. I loved all your examples and how varied they were. This is what makes these challenges so interesting, we all think in different ways and that makes us grow as photographers.
Next week is John’s turn to lead, so please visit his unique site to see what he’s up to, I am sure looking forward to it.
If you want more information on the Lens-Artist Challenge, please click here.
Totally destroyed clubhouse
John’s Cellpic Sunday
Today, our local youth clubhouse at our summer home village burned down. Nothing left, fortunately no lives were lost.
Monochrome Madness | crossroads
I’m just posting this crossing from our trip to Charleston last year. Leanne’s Monochrome Madness
Lens-Artists Challenge #300- Delicate
Ann-Christine challenges us this week with a theme Delicate , and what a way to celebrate the 300 Lens-Artists Challenges!
First I saw the title and my first thought was nature – obviously. But since Sofia is doing floral next week I will leave those photos for that theme.
Delicate – very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality, easily broken or damaged; fragile. “delicate china”
The first three glasses are are old and fragile, they used to belong to my parents. I got his glass swan with a delicate neck as a gift 🙂
I got a set of six from my grandmother as wedding gift it is truly exquisite and rich in memories. The Paragon “First Love” Cup and Saucer set, appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, carries a sense of elegance and tradition. Even as they are not to my personal style, they embody a timeless charm and sentimental value that transcends individual preferences.I have used these maybe few times. I’ve kept them as a cherished memory, just to honor her gift and the enduring legacy it represents.
So, I was just looking at the world through my phone’s camera, thinking about the idea of delicacy. During the day, I was trying to capture moments that really embodied delicacy, you know, both in a physical and emotional sense. I didn’t really make any big discoveries, I was just trying to find beauty in how delicate everything can be. Like the gentle sunlight filtering through the trees with tiny drops of water, or the delicate lace curtains in my sauna. And, of course, Tinka’s whiskers.
Step into a world where nature and culture intertwined effortlessly. The Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney offers a serene escape from the bustling city, where you can wander along meandering pathways adorned with intricate pavilions, peaceful ponds, and lush flora. Each step reveals a new vista, a new moment of awe-inspiring beauty and as these photos show delicate window.
Last week Patti created a an inspiring theme for us to ponder on, the week was full of hope, a big topic and the interpretation of the theme was captured beautifully by all you.
Next week is Sofia’s turn to host. Please visit her site Saturday 25th May for more information on the challenge, I am sure she will give us with truly beautiful floral images to inspire us.
Until then, keep smiling ☺
To participate in this challenge, you should link to or leave a comment on the week’s host’s original challenge post and please use the #Lens-Artists tag in your own post, so the post is easily found in the Reader.
And if you want even more information on the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.
Töölö Windows
Ludwigs Monday Window
Spent few moments in Töölö, Helsinki looking for Windows on a Friday evening. I was able take these without cars. There is one shot I took, just to show movement on the road, it is usually a very busy road. Not on a Friday evening with summer temperatures 😊
Watching wood pigeons from the hammock
Title says it all, for six word Saturday
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 