~ Lens-Artists Challenge #348: Serenity ~

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week, Egídio asks us how we find serenity, and invites us to bring it into our photography. Serenity comes to me when my mind and body are in equilibrium, creating a state of being at peace with myself in the world, and having a sensation of calmness and tranquility. Even if only fleeting, these moments sustain me through stressful times.

Serenity starts with breathing fresh air! It renews my body and mind, as I shed stress and begin to relax.

Sunlight in natural settings provides powerful sensations of calm to my spirit. Whether its filtered as in the above photo of sunrise mist across the dunes, or bright as sunlight filtering through stately fir trees, below .

Colors evoke emotions in people. Blue, green and pastel shades all tend to bring me a feeling of calmness. Blue as the sky and water, green of the living flora on earth, and gentle pastels of sunrise, sunset and of filtered light.

The rippling rhythmic sounds of water summons a sense of peaceful harmony. Streams, lakes and rivers all offer places for quiet contemplation. Though the Pacific Ocean is not always calm, sometimes it is sublimely so, as in the photo below.

I could go on and on! It’s no secret that I love being out in the natural environment, so there are many photos in my posts that present the elements that create a sense of serenity for me. Thank you to Egídio for this challenge which encourages us to find space and place in our lives to re-center and renew.

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

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #347: Break the Rules! ~

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

As anyone who has taken a class in the visual arts and photography knows, there are rules that help make an image stand out from its surroundings. This week Ritva encourages us to forget about the rules and present photos “with a carefree spirit, that allow our spontaneity to shine through, and infuse each shot with authenticity.” To that end, I have not cropped or enhanced the shots in this post in any way. When my husband saw this first image he said, “I like it, just as it is!”

Little did I suspect there would soon be a challenge that is perfect for this odd angle shot!

Impressionism is a favorite artistic style of mine. Above, the peeling bark of the trees fascinated me and the photo was taken simply to capture that texture. Clouds reflecting on water with reeds and their shadows, created another impressionistic image. The incubation space for butterfly pupa is strangely surreal, with each chrysalis in a different stage of metamorphosis. If you look carefully, you will see a faint reflection of me taking this photo.

Smoke from wildfires around Odell Lake last summer (2024) created light and shadow that made for several unusual photos. This one feels like the boats are floating in air as the sky and lake blend into the distance.

Thank you to Ritva for an opportunity to show some of my photos taken by instinct and emotion! For more guidance on Ritva’s challenge, go to her post here.

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

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #346: Cinematic ~

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

Sofia leads this week’s challenge to present photos that have a cinematic feel. She explains; “the main objective is to take a shot that is part of a story, there’s mood and a sense of location; our image is but a snapshot of a much wider situation.” For more in-depth illustrations you can see here post here.

Sunset Hummingbird

Backlighting is a surefire way to add mood and emotion to a story. Above, a usually colorful hummingbird becomes a black silhouette set upon the lovely hues of a Pacific Ocean sunset.

Palouse Wind

Molded by winds, the rolling hills of the Palouse country in southeastern Washington State, are a renown agriculture region that now hosts a newer crop; wind turbines for clean energy.

Soaring Eagle

On the western coast of Washington State, a mature Bald Eagle soars over the forests and bays of Cape Disappointment State Park in Ilwaco. Colors, textures, light and motion all add to a cinematic appearance.

Razor Clamming

Above, a few people hunt for Razor Clams in the surf at Long Beach, WA. This nearly monochrome photo with four distinct textures, creates a sense of depth and an almost ethereal atmosphere.

Surfin’ Beagles

Sofia’s statement; “By capturing our subject in movement, we are freezing the story in that particular moment,” sent me looking through my vast collection of Daisy & Max photos! This one is especially cinematic with the texture and light of the surf, waves and clouds not to mention both beagles charging along the shoreline. 🐾🐾

A big thank you to Sofia for this challenge, and also to all the Lens-Artists hosts for providing challenges that help me/us focus on creativity at least for a little while!

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

Posted in Beagles, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #345 ~ My Go-To Places ~

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

The reason I’m late getting this week’s Lens-Artists challenge posted is because the weather has been perfect here in Vancouver, WA for “playing” outside in my gardens. The pond was in sad shape at the end of winter, so I put quite a bit of time and energy into shoring it up and making sure the pump is working well and the plants are healthy, because this sylvan space is my number one Go-To place to relax and revive my spirits from spring through autumn.

Surrounded by tall Douglas Firs twined with Vine Maple, a small waterfall supplies the lovely sound of running water which attracts birds while the pond provides a habitat for koi, frogs and other critters.

Whether I’m reading, writing or thinking, the tranquility of this space always does the trick. Max likes to curl up on the loveseat next to me, while Daisy patrols the grounds or searches in the pond for the elusive Koi.

After completing this post, I will pack up the truck and head out to my other Go-To place for renewal; our condominium at Long Beach, WA.

Creighton took this snapshot of me with Daisy and Max in my favorite spot inside our condo; the big purple chair. From here I can see out the windows across the marsh/meadow to the berm and beyond. We stay here a couple weeks a month between mid September, through mid June, and leave it available for guests during the busy summer season.

A big thank you to John for his wonderful challenge and reminder to nurture ourselves by seeking out and being in places that help us get centered and stay sane. You can find his beautiful post here.

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

Posted in landscape gardening, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #344 – Abandonment ~

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Anne Sandler invites us to show and tell our thoughts on the theme of abandonment. There are many synonyms for this word, each with different nuances; desert (someone), evacuate (something), give up (activities), give way to (emotions). In her post here, Anne provides eloquent photographic examples of all these potential interpretations. To keep it simple this week, I’ve narrowed it down to; leave behind, or in the colloquial, to leave high and dry.

After strong winter storms, these By the Wind Sailors (Vallela Vallela) washed up all along surfs edge at Long Beach, WA. They live on the surface of warmer oceans using their sails to float with the wind on ocean currents, and their stinging tentacles to prey on young fish and other small animals. After being stranded on land they dry into crunchy treats for beach gleaners.

Gooseneck barnacles attach to objects floating in the ocean and hitch a ride. In this way they filter food and are only found on land when marooned on a beach.

Another casualty of strong winter storms are ocean kelps, which get ripped from the ocean floor, pitched into tangled heaps and tossed ashore. Above left, a form of laminaria, right top, bull kelp and below it dried bull kelp.

A few years ago, a young Gray whale beached near the part of Long Beach where I go for walks. It smelled mighty bad that first year, though by the next there was little left of it. Humans had harvested what they could make profit from, and the beach gleaners did the rest. The last I saw of the creature was this one bone resting in the surf.

Jellyfish (Cnidaria) are plentiful in all of earths oceans, warm and cold, deep or shallow. Research reveals they may be older than dinosaurs, and they have not yet been negatively affected by global warming. I always feel sad when I find them abandoned on shore after heavy storms, so I’m happy to learn they are not endangered.

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

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #343 ~ Seen on my Last Outing ~

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

Ann-Christine wants to know what happened on our last outing, and what prompted us to pull out our cameras. Usually with a challenge like this, I would post photos of my last visit to Long Beach, or take you on a tour of spring in my gardens – where I go to detox from the daily torrent of upsetting news. However, today I present another side of my being; someone willing to stand up for her beliefs.

On this lovely sunny Saturday, I joined with my community to peacefully demonstrate that a large part of WE THE PEOPLE do not support what the Trump administration is doing to wreck our country, destroy our economy, up-end our lives, de-fund entities that we depend upon and expect to be there when we need/want them, to cause us to be less safe, less healthy, less wealthy, less educated, and in one small-handed swipe disrupt a world order that was doing quite nicely without him. We were a large crowd for a “purple” county, around 3000 – 4000, all ages, all walks of life. This is a small sampling of the many creative signs on display.

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

Lens-Artists Challenge #343 – Seen on my Last Outing
Posted in Being, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, pacific northwest, peaceful civil disobedience, photography | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #342 ~ It’s a Wild Life ~

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq


This week Egidio is curious to see what we Lens-Artists contributors consider to be wild. In this post I present images that personify my sense of wild as: undomesticated, untamed and natural. Below, a photo of the demure blossom of salmonberry, “a species of bramble in the rose family native to the west coast of North America…the salmonberry plant bears edible fruit, typically yellow-orange or red in color, resembling raspberries in appearance.”Wikipedia

Last June I participated in a hike, sponsored by Friends of Willapa Bay, to visit Bear River on a trail not yet open to the public. The Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is rewilding Bear River to provide critical spawning and rearing habitat for native salmon.

As I considered the photos in my archives, I realized very few are truly wild simply because I was there with my camera. I had driven, walked a path and/or had access to where I was without needing to cut my way through bracken or confront predatory creatures on the way!

Columbian black-tailed deer are residents on the Long Beach Peninsula. The large grassy meadow in front of The Breakers, provides lush grazing for this family. Stands of evergreen trees on the north and south borders of the meadow offer shelter. This 24 acre summer meadow/ winter marsh is owned by the Breakers Condominium Association Long Beach, and is maintained as a natural habitat.

When this Dall’s porpoise washed ashore at Long Beach, it didn’t take long for the gleaning community to congregate. Above, three Bald Eagles (2 mature, 1 immature) feast while a crow looks on. Below, a Bald Eagle flies over a Turkey Vulture waiting in the queue.

This view of Salt Creek Falls is accessible via a short, steep trail from the parking lot and upper viewing areas.

Willamette National Forest is one of countless wilderness areas maintained by the US Department of Agriculture and US Forest Service. The current administration has gutted both agencies and many more; not good for those of us who like to visit wild places.

Pacific Ocean storms often are quite wild. This shot, taken from my deck at The Breakers, gives you a sense of the power in those waves.

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

Thank you to Egídio for giving us an opportunity to delve into the wild side of our lives.

Posted in A Photo a Week, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #341 Personal Favorites ~

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Tina invites us to select only 5 photos that we consider our Personal Favorites. With so many possibilities in my archives and with all the memories attached, this was a tough assignment! However, I have done my sifting and present these photos that I love, most of which I’ve shared on Lens-Artists challenges previously.

Jello in golden sunrise

I’m starting with a dawn photo of Jello looking out across the misty dune-grass meadow as we headed out for our morning beach walk. The light was beautiful and she almost seems to be posing for me. She was such a sweet girl, and though I love Max & Daisy, I miss Jello to this day.

Ducks in the Fog

The quietness of the ducks gliding on a pond in morning fog captured me then and still calms my spirit whenever I look at it.

View from Inside North Head Lighthouse

When I took this shot I knew it had potential to be stunning. When I looked at it in processing I was excited at how well it turned out.

Brown Pelicans & Friend

In this shot there is so much animation and movement it feels like I’m there again when I see it. The sunlit waves washing towards me, four pelicans and a gull resting in the surf and one pelican suspended in flight, create an energetic impression.

Sunset Through the Reeds

Another golden hour, this one a sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach, WA. Why do I choose this photo over all the other spectacular sunset shots I’ve taken there in the past eight years? Because it is subtle and peaceful, yet brimming with hope for another quiet night and golden morning.

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

Lens-Artists Challenge #341 – Personal Favorites
Posted in Beagles, birds, jello, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #340: Portraits ~

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week, Ritva invites us to “capture the essence and personality of our subjects,” using portrait photographs. Lucky for me, she has graciously suggested the portraits can be of humans or other living creatures! Ritva guides us saying, “The goal is to connect with another person or subject and tell their story through your image.”

My next door neighbors in Vancouver take care of their Grandson Remy, once or twice a week. On sunny days Dee-Anne and Remy sometimes wander into my garden, which has an arbor connecting our two properties. Remy isn’t sure about me, though it’s clear he loves Max!

Of the many photos I took at my friend Joellene’s wedding, I especially like this one. Taking a tip from Ritva, I decided to try it in Black & White and found that without the distraction of color, the focus stays right on the faces of the happy couple.

A guest at their wedding wore this beautiful outfit and graciously agreed when I asked to photograph her. In addition to stunning fashion, she has a lovely smile!

Micah, who is now 10, had just turned 4 when I took this photo of him sitting in his mom, Molly’s lap while she read to him. The intimacy, trust and love between them shines through, as he appears to be about to drift off to sleep.

I’ll close with these portraits of an adult Killdeer and a Cottontail Rabbit. It’s always fun to catch a clear photo of wildlife subjects in their natural habitat!

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

Posted in Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, photography, portraits | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

~Lens-Artists Challenge #339: Life’s Changes ~

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Lindy Le Coq

This week Anne Sandler of Slow Shutter Speed asks us to “share a passion, hobby or life experience that helped direct your life’s passion.” When Covid 19 was declared a global pandemic five years ago this week, life changed. As it happened, my husband Creighton and I were at our condominium in Long Beach with beloved beagle Jello, when Washington State’s governor Jay Inslee, issued a stay in place directive on March 17th, 2020. We had a day or so to decide whether to stay at the beach, or head back to our home in Vancouver, WA. After checking the infection and death rate data from both Clark and Pacific counties we chose to stay right where we were, in Pacific County.

Human activity on Long Beach was steady. Visitors walked and bicycled, made sculptures out of beach materials, vehicles drove at 25 mph along the beach which is a legal highway, families enjoyed clamming and recreating, and younger folks partied into the night. All of that came to an end on March 17, 2020. Vehicles were prohibited from driving the beach, hospitality businesses closed their doors, and Long Beach was like a ghost town.

Every day Jello and I would take morning and afternoon walks to the now deserted beach. The absence of vehicles was a pleasant change, and though I would see people now and then, they were few and far between. The other life change I began to notice was a significant increase in Bald Eagle activity. From mid-March through the end of May, I was in the company of several Bald Eagles; individuals and pairs. Wind and tide had washed two big snags onto the beach and they were favorite Eagle perches.

After a while, an adult pair became accustomed to seeing Jello and me on our rambles, and did not startle when we were about.

Bald Eagles in different stages of maturity showed up, hung around and departed.

By the end of May, 2020 a vaccine had been developed for Covid 19, the beach was re-opened to vehicles and residents and visitors returned. To my dismay, within a day or two, both Eagle perches had been chain-sawed into firewood, and the stumps were all that was left.

Soon after, the Bald Eagles wisely retreated to more protected places, and our time of peaceful co-existence ended. To this day, I feel privileged and blessed to have had those few weeks to walk among them.

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

Posted in Birding, birds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, outdoors, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments