~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #287: Sounds ~

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

Donna of Wind Kisses challenges us to show photos that resonate sounds this week. What a challenge it was for me to winnow down all the possibilities to a few! Finally I came up with three general groups: sounds generated by the natural world, mechanical noise, and sounds of people together.

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
White-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis

As we approach the end of winter and see glimpses of early spring in the Northern Hemisphere, native and migratory birds begin their yearly call for mates.

Among my favorite nature sounds is water. Whether it’s the roar of ocean breakers pounding ashore, a rushing river or gentle stream, or the plink plink of raindrops on ponds, water sounds are both invigorating and soothing.

Mechanical sounds are often abrasive, yet also necessary to complete tasks or get you were you want to be! My favorite of these is the boat motor powering me over Odell Lake to go fishing.

Above Los Bambinos performing for the guests at Beach Haven, Orcas Island, WA.

Above left, a line of gardeners converse as we wait for the Heritage Farm plant sale to open. Center, Portland, OR Women’s March, January 20,2017. Right a group of friends celebrate at a wedding party. Bottom, folks admire detailed craftsmanship at the Carousel Museum in Albany, OR.

I’ll close with this shot from our dog park. Max is watching me after Daisy chased a squirrel across an open grassy area and climbed right up the tree after it. She’s a Beagle who likes to hunt, and her bay could be heard throughout the park!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Thank you Donna, for your creative energy and all the thought you put into your posts and comments.

Lens-Artists Challenge #287 – Sound
Posted in Beagles, Birding, birds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Musical Instruments, nature, nature photography, ornithology, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #286: Weather ~

Posted on February 15, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

Our host this week, Anne of Slow Shutter Speed, challenges us to illustrate “the various types of weather conditions in which we photographers find ourselves pursuing our hobby or vocation.” Thank you Anne, for another wide-open invitation. In the Pacific Northwest (PNW) there are many variations on this theme. Just about any season of the year, you might see clouds riding on the wind.

Clouds don’t always bring rain, though the moist environment is one of the reasons we love living here. Below a dramatic image of a rain storm approaching from the Pacific Ocean, at Long Beach, WA USA.

Whether it rains or not, there is almost always wind here at the Pacific Ocean’s edge.

Blurry windblown dune grass, and crests of incoming waves lifted and scattered in a gale.

Fog is another characteristic weather in the PNW. I love the soft natural filter those tiny wisps of water create.

Snow and ice are common winter weather in the mountains, however rare at the coast.

Blue skies! Sunshine! Wildflowers! Birds! Sunsets! Who could ask for anything more?*

*George Gershwin; I Got Rhythm

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Lens Artist Challenge #286: Weather
Posted in birds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #285: Warm Colors ~

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

Color has a powerful influence upon the mood in many different kinds of circumstances. For this week’s challenge Egídio, invites us to explore warm colors. Nature abounds with color and blesses us with many opportunities to rejoice in their splendor.

What’s not to love about yellow? It is energetic and cheerful, often gracing the first blossoms of spring. Yellow feels like Joy to me.

Orange is such a vibrant hue, a perfect blend of yellow and red that stimulates and delights my senses.

Red is a powerful color that draws our attention immediately. To me it radiates energy, passion and love.

Pink is soft and friendly. To my eye, it glows with kindness, comfort and contentment.

A touch of blue added to red creates the color purple – a hue that uplifts and inspires me. On the cool end of the warm spectrum, purple’s intensity is rich and luxurious.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

A big thank you to Egídio, for bringing warmth to those of us in the northern hemisphere still living in the midst of winter’s dreariness!

Lens-Artists Challenge #285: Warm Colors
Posted in Art, flowers, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #284: Night & Day ~

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

Sophia Alves leads our challenge this week with the theme of Night and Day. The golden hours of dawn and sundown are favorite times for photographers to capture the glory of our beautiful earth, and then there are all the other times in our daily 24 hours to find beauty. In this challenge, once again I am pairing photos with haiku and poetry from my collected writings.

suspended in rosy heavens
full Hunter’s moon drifts
toward tomorrow

secret dark night woods
underline dawn’s golden glow
clouds scatter luster

Light is Life (excerpt)

light-years radiate
far-away glimmer of wishes
beams from ancient dreams
spark a torch of hope

white-hot sun drifting
yellow corona glows
orange radiates

full moon floats upon
an ocean of foamy clouds
deep-blue night awaits

night-time companion
moon ~ master of ocean tides
mother of wonder

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

A big thank you to Sofia, for another fun challenge!

Lens-Artists Challenge – Day & Night
Posted in haiku, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Poetry, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #283: Illustrate a Favorite Quote or Poem ~

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

A few years ago I started writing poems about the birds I encountered at the beach. In these poems my goal is to describe their behavior without personifying them. In answer to Ann-Christine’s challenge to illustrate a favorite quote or poem with our photography, I am presenting one of my poems; Sanderling Dance.

Racing a swirling tide
Sanderling quickstep at ocean’s edge
needle-nebs peck persistently
devouring small worms and sand-shrimp.

Instinct drives recurring action;
sprint ahead of rushing surf
turn and chase retreating flow
mining sand for sustenance.

Preserving energy
Sanderling gather to rest
stand upright on one leg
beak tucked under wing.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Lens-Artists Challenge #283 – Illustrate a Favourite Quote or Poem

Posted in Birding, birds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #282: Dramatic ~

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

With below freezing temperatures, snow all week-end and now freezing rain in my little corner of the world (Vancouver, WA – USA), life has been full of drama! The temps are rising, so the ice will begin to melt today, and by tomorrow this drama of nature will be a memory. This week, Patti challenges us to find dramatic images in our archives, and she explains the characteristics of a dramatic photo perfectly.

Caught in the center of a stunning sundown reflecting upon the waters of President’s Channel (Orcas, Island WA), this lithe young woman expertly plies her paddle board atop strong tidal currents. The drama for me is that she remains stable throughout her journey.

There is theater in watching songbirds splash away in a bird bath. This Song Sparrow was making quite a splatter, action which my camera caught.

There is something terrifying and almost sinister about the claw-jaws of a large excavator machine, and converting the photo to Noir added tension. Not to mention MACO is a shark!

The dazzling shades of tangerine, rose and lilac in these whirling clouds reflected in the marsh ponds, is my favorite end-of-day spectacle at the Breakers, Long Beach, WA.

No guilt. No regret. Bald Eagles are opportunists and eat whatever they can catch, including other birds. Though I’ve featured this shot in previous posts, it truly is one of my more dramatic photographs.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Thank you Patti for this dramatic start to Lens-Artists Photo Challenges- 2024!

LAPC #282: Dramatic
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~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Winter Beauties ~

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq
Varied Thrush  Ixoreus naevius
Spotted Towhee  Pipilo maculatus
Leucistic (albino) Dark-eyed Junco   Junco hyemalis  

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in Birding, birds, nature, nature photography, ornithology, outdoors, pacific northwest, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #281: Favorite Images of 2023 ~

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Lindy Le Coq

As we open a new calendar year, Lens-Artists suggest we review our photos from 2023 and present some of our favorites. The golden hour at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, with pastel toned breakers rolling in, and two young people enjoying a romp on the beach was a joy to behold.

On a cold windy morning, with thunderous surf near high tide, a group of Brown Pelicans plunged into the waves for fish. I couldn’t see where the Pelicans were, or tell if I was getting any photos of them, yet in the end I had a few nice images. This gliding solo bird above the seething surf is one of my favorites.

On clear days at Long Beach WA, afternoon sun shines through the top of breakers creating a translucent green crest. After quite a few attempts, I caught one that captures the essence.

Early morning on Kamiak Butte, in the Palouse hills of Washington State, I watched this Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly float through the sunshine to land on a bright yellow day lily. It was busy sipping nectar, so I had time to get in close.

A showing of Chihuly in the Garden, at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, was a photographers feast. I featured the twisty blue chandelier in post #276. After playing with the photo in editing, this image was my favorite. It made a lovely photo-to-canvas for my sister’s home in St. Louis!

As the sun begins to glow upon the dune grass, a full moon is on its way to disappearing beyond the Pacific horizon. Scenes like this create a tranquility in me that keeps me breathing deeply with peace.

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

There is no specific host for this week’s challenge, so let’s just thank all the contributors who coordinate this wonderful site. Wishing you a new year filled with happiness and adventure.

Lens-Artists Challenge #281 – Favorite Images of 2023
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~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge # 280: Last Chance ~

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Lindy Le Coq

Tina, of Travels and Trifles brings back a popular challenge introduced at the end of 2022, which is to choose photographs that we have taken this year (2023) but did not included in response to the 2023 Lens-Artist challenges.

My friend Mike, at the Breakers in Long Beach, WA, has nurtured some lovely Golden Chain Trees. This spring they were magnificent in profile upon a clear blue sky. There were many challenges this year where this photo might have fit, yet somehow it didn’t end up in any posts. Consequently, this photo is first up in my Last Chance 2023 post!

Many photographs of the Chihuly sculptures I took at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in October, have not made it into my posts. On the other hand, several have! Each Chihuly instillation is unique, magical and worthy.

In late June, my dear friend Jocelyn and I got together in Spokane for an afternoon and evening of girl time. This photo was the view from the patio outside our room. It was tranquil and provided space for us to talk about the real stuff going on in our lives. Though the photo fit many challenges, I wanted to keep it close and personal. It feels right to share it here.

This photograph of a light glaze of ice on a marsh pond could have fit many challenges in 2023, yet it kept ending up in the “also ran” file. No longer – today it gets a chance to shine!

In April guest host Siobhan Sullivan of Bend Branches, challenged us to present glowing moments. My post featured subtle yet vibrant photos. This sunset over the Pacific Ocean, taken from my deck at the Breakers in Long Beach, WA, would have been over the top for that post! However it is perfect as the final offering in the Last Chance Challenge of 2023!

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Thank you to Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, Amy, John, and all the guest hosts who provided provocative themes to followers of Lens-Artists Photo Challenges in 2023. Amy, enjoy your new adventures! See you all in 2023. 🐾🐾

Lens-Artists Challenge #280 – Last Chance
Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Lindy Le Coq

On your walk with life, please honor our earth, encourage dignity and share kindness. 🐾

Posted in pacific northwest, photography, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , | 1 Comment