Art in public has been around for centuries and was a sign of wealth
Even light is (or at least can be) art. You can read the full story when clicking on this link.
I intentionally left out architecture and old buildings i.e. created by Antonio Gaudi. They are quite often richly decorated and wonderful pieces of art.
As usual, click on the images to enlarge them.
Maybe, I inspired you to dig in your archive and find some images, you can publish your images on your blog and set a link to John’s inspiration post. Don’t forget to tag it with LENS-ARTIST, so we can find it.
Today, Sofia challenges us for The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week with “mood”.
Fortunately, this topic was announced ahead, so I was able to prepare this post ahead of knowing exactly, what Sophia had in her mind. But, otherwise, I had to pause this week.
I like working this way on the weekly challenges because I have to and I have to deal with the respective topic myself without having gotten a predefined direction of thinking. So, I decided to not stick to moody scenes around sunrise or sunset but also include other moods.
In general, we tend to consider a scene moody when having certain light conditions. This can be the warm light around sunset or sunrise flooding a scene, artificial lights at a party, or ambient light for a romantic situation. In nature, foggy scenes are also often considered moody, or when there are very distinct light conditions with hard contrasts. But, in my opinion, there is much more. Getting into a certain mood is usually triggered by an impulse from the outside. This can be a certain light condition, an incident, a situation, a location, or even a piece of information.
festive
reverent
prayerful
dreamy
happiness through sports
glowing at dust
heart-warming sunrise
joy
fun
before sunrise
relaxing or being together
burning nature
longing for light
burning sky
love
warming and inviting
celebrating
awed amazement
chilling
morning glory
magical night
grief
victory
As usual, click on the images to enlarge them.
Maybe, I was able to inspire you to dig in your archive and find some images, you can publish your images on your blog and set a link to Sofia’sSofia’s inspiration post. Don’t forget to tag it with LENS-ARTIST, so we can find it.
“May the force be with you!” is the blessing used several times during the Star Wars movies. So, I tried to find and Star Wars-related image for today. But, as expected I don’t have one in one of my cosplay folders. You know, I photographed the cosplayers at Japantag a few times, but Star Wars is usually not to find as the origin is not Anime or Manga. I probably would have more luck at a ComiCon or a Star Wars-themed convention, but I’ve never visited such an event.
Instead, I incidentally met a group of clone warriors, a few Jedi, Princess Leia Organa, and even Lord Vader a few years ago at a photo + adventure fair. You can read the whole post here in my archive.
I’m not into anime, manga, or these computer games. But, I love how much effort these people invest to not only create the clothing and ‘weapons’ of their favorite characters, they even bring the characters to life.
I want to introduce you to Hermann aka Arminius (appr. 17 b.c. – 21 a.c.), the son of a chieftain of the Cherusker people. There’s not much known about him. As a child, he was taken from his parents and brought to Rome to educate him and make him a real Roman. He learned well and joined the army. As he was quite talented the Romans sent him back to the region he originated from and made him the leader of a military auxiliaries troop of locals.
After a while, he was able to persuade the locals to fight against the Romans. His troop was responsible to protect the roman army and their civil staff on their way back from the wild area east of the river Rhine back to the fortified cities east of the river Rhine, a trip the roman army did each fall to stay in the cities for winter and not in tents.
On this trip, the track was attacked by the Cheruskers and maybe further tribes. It seems, no one was able to escape as there are nearly no reports available.
For a few years, archaeologists are quite sure about the place of that battle because of the found artifacts. Before, there were a few further possible places considered. This monument, set up in the late 19th century, is not in the right place. It’s approximately 100km south of the place, where roman remains were found, which seem to be left after that crushing battle about 2000 years ago.
On a scouting trip this summer, I used the opportunity to visit this place with my wife. We were there for the first time.
The calendar says it’s January now. January means we’re in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere and winter is related to snow.
Freshly fallen snow lays on the ground like untouched and clean linen. The same is true for the first day(s) of a new year. Everything is still unclear and uncertain. Although some topics might already have been planned, everything still has to happen.
Another year reached its end. Another year dominated by special regulations due to the Covid19 pandemic. Although some scientists and politicians declare the pandemic for being over, I don’t think so. IMHO the virus stays and is part of our common life now. Vaccinations are still necessary, especially for kids.
Fortunately, the rate of serious infections is quite low, at least in western countries as well as in those countries willing to cooperate with them. But, nevertheless, everyone is due to take care of their own health by protecting themselves from getting infected. Thus, face masks will probably remain just the way it is common in a couple of Asian countries for years already, and facemasks are even produced by major fashion labels.
So, I’m wishing you the very best for 2023: health and wealth. Health for being able to enjoy life with your family and friends and wealth for heaving the necessary funds either by earning them from your job or from your pension fund in case you’ve already retired.
I selected this image from my archive taken a couple of years ago. Before sunrise, I was already hidden in a hide waiting for the sunlight to wake up the cranes standing in the shallow water in front of me about a hundred meters away. Cranes are considered of being birds of happiness and luck. Me, that morning definitely brought happiness to me. Many of the birds started flying straight in my direction, just like the ones in the image above.
May they also bring some luck for you for the new year.
This week, we have a fantastic topic for LAPC. Tina came up with the idea of running a treasure hunt through our archives.
A pet – our tom cat during his first trip in the garden.
The moon or the sun: both, captured during the partial solar eclipse
Clouds above the sea and in the middle of the image you can see it pouring down
an avocet and his reflection
a child, surrounded by adults on a hike in the Swiss Alpes
an umbrella helps not much when the kid plays with his boat in poodles
The next image is taken in Norway in early March during our hunt for the dancing green Lady.
A truck, used as a snow remover
I’m very happy to have the next image in my archive. Many years ago, I was on a Sunday afternoon walk with my wife and our daughter in her baby carriage and I had my camera, a film SLR, with me. Suddenly, I noticed a few blooming flowers on the ground between the already thrown away foliage. When having a closer look, the flowers looked like crocuses but neither in those well-known intense colors. Instead, a fair lilac. An older man came up to us and introduced us to this plant. He also was a hobby photographer and was not only equipped with a macro lens similar to mine but also had bellows with him, which he lent me (fortunately he was using the same system as I did). I found my first autumn crocus. Unfortunately, the original slide is lost. But, when I tried to find them again a few years later, I wasn’t successful. But, three years ago, I was lucky again. This time I stumbled upon them during a fall vacation.
autumn crocus or meadow saffron ( Colchicum autumnale) / Herbstzeitlose looks similar to a regular crocus but blooms in autumn
I passed the building in my next image when I had to follow a redirection because of a street closing.
a funny painted house (you can find inside, what’s painted outside)
A wonderful challenge and again a great opportunity to look through the archive and discover the images from a different perspective.
Maybe, I was able to inspire you to dig in your archive and find some images, you can publish your images on your blog and set a link to Tina’s inspiration post. Don’t forget to tag it with the tag LENS-ARTIST, so that we can find it.
This week, we have another guest host for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Donna. She asks us for images showing the destination and the goal i.e. a hike or a trip. In German, the term also has a different meaning. When having been severely ill and your situation is becoming finally a little better so that you can see, it will probably not get worse again, this person is considered to be ‘over the hill’. It can also be used for a business to get better in regard to the financial situation after a depression or so.
the very young river Rhine in the Alpes in Switzerland long before growing to become one of the big streams of Europe. (try to find the ‘toy’ train)
have a little rest at the end of the cliff above the sea
Every now and then in the Alpes along the tracks, you can find one of these springs giving you fresh drinking water
following the small track (and your GPS device)
Looking back to where you started and where you want to come back in a healthy condition
That hidden beach was our goal after hiking over paths in very bad conditions over hills and through the jungle.
follow the beaten path
Even when you can’t see much of the path ..
Maybe, I was able to inspire you to dig in your archive and find some images, you can publish your images on your blog and set a link to Donna’s inspirations post. Don’t forget to tag it with the tag LENS-ARTIST, so that we can find it.
It’s Saturday! So, it’s time for Lens Artists Photo-Challenge. This time, Tina is our host and she challenges us this week with the topic “opposites”
Sunshine vs. rain
hot in cold: these ice blocks captured the warm light of the setting sun
from dry to wet
mountains so high and valley so deep
young vs. old(er)
big and small
yellow and blue
Although, Tina brought up the topic by combining two images to show the opposites, I preferred to find images with the opposite in itself. Thank you so much, Tina, for this challenging topic!
Maybe, I was able to inspire you to dig in your archive and find some images, you can publish your images on your blog and set a link to Tina’s inspirations post. Don’t forget to tag it with the tag LENS-ARTIST, so that we can find it.
Today, Sofia invites us to share images showing urban environments. After pausing the last two weeks because of a vacation, I’m on board again to participate in Lens-Artists weekly photo challenge.
You know, I’m much more interested in nature and wildlife than in cities. Being in a city is generally more of a necessary evil than doing it voluntarily. But, every now and then, I’m also in a town with my camera.
You can see, even from a photographer’s point of view, there are a lot of opportunities to switch your camera on and take an image.
Art
City lights
Architecture
Public transportation: suspension train station
Public transportation: bus station
gas station and the automobiles
more city lights
much more city lights
pittoresqe old buildings
narrow street canyons
pittoresque old towns
thousands of people stuffed in overcrowded places
amazing views
lights in the nights
modern architecture for public transportation: tram station
squares
illuminated architecture and buildings of interest
people rushing through the streets
Maybe, I was able to inspire you to go out in your city or town with your camera. When back, you can publish your images on your blog and set a link to Sofia’s inspirations post. Don’t forget to tag it with the tag LENS-ARTIST, so that we can find it.
Last week I was on a short family vacation at the Northsea: me, my wife, and our grandson (5 3/4).
We were gifted with fantastic weather. Nicely warm and sunny days at the beach and on the many playgrounds the town set up over the years. We visited that town not for the first time. So, we were able to see the development. Especially my wife was there quite often when our kids were smaller. She went with only one at a time, while the others stayed home with me. Now, all of them are adults and traveling with their partners.
Being at the coast means having a good portion of wind around you all the time. During low tide, the beaches grow. When low tide is in the evening, you can have much space for flying a kite. We’ve chosen that way for the kite instead of going to the kiting ground because there are more pro-kiters and a small kid does not have the room he needs for his little kite.
Saturday before last, I was in our state capitol to see one of the results of the long-lasting drought, we’re suffering this year. The fourth year in a row. Many smaller rivers and creeks don’t haven’t water anymore. Lakes and ponds dry out or at least overheat and endangering the fishes that way.
That river is one of the big streams here in Europe and it’s used as a road for large barges. When I walked down the riverbank and came closer to one of the spur dikes (they are built to slow down the water) when I noticed this single sunflower, blooming on a part of the riverbed, although the image seems to show something different, because you can’t the exact location.
I’m taking this sunflower as a sign of hope. Hope for water will come back to this level. Hope, because there is still some water in the ground.
12 years ago, my wife spent a week with our youngest at the north sea. Thanks to a very proposing weather forecast, I came up with the idea, to surprise them by making a day trip to visit them. So, I told the other two kids to prepare some breakfast suitable to be eaten on the road and get up that early to be able to be on the road at 6 a.m. What a surprise, when we arrived at noon. At that time, the motorway ended early and the remaining nearly 100 km had to be covered on regular country roads. Nowadays the highway reaches much closer to the coast and shortens the distance to only a little more than 3 hours.
After having dinner together, we headed back home and arrived at about 1:30 a.m. What a day!
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