Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – A River Runs Through It.

This week, Amy is asking us to find a place where a river runs through it for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. We always seem to be drawn to water on our travels and, very often, rivers feature quite a bit on these trips.  There’s something fascinating about a river as it makes it’s way through so many different kinds of surroundings, from the quiet countryside to the bustle of a big city. The first two shots of the Bad River and its tributary,Tyler Forks, were captured at Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin.

 

The next three images are of the Eau Claire River at the Dells of Eau Claire in Wisconsin.

The next two places are a little closer to home. The first is the Des Plaines River as it flows placidly through Joliet, Illinois. The next is the Fox River tumbling over the dam at St. Charles.

Normally, the Chicago River would just be gearing up for a busy season of river traffic but who knows what things will be like for the next few months. I’ll miss these familiar sights. I’ll be staying put for the foreseeable future, but these rivers will keep flowing on.  Stay safe, everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Chaos

Ann-Christine has certainly given us something to think about this week with her choice of subject for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. Out of chaos comes the promise of Spring. It’s not much, but it gives us hope for the future. Like the flowers, may we rise again from the grip of winter and the troubles that beset this poor old world of ours. Stay safe, everyone. Better days ahead.

 

 

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Change Of Perspective

This week, Patti is asking us to Change Our Perspective for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. I spent much of the time on Friday on my knees at the Chicago Botanic Garden, photographing flowers at the annual Orchid Show. This was my second visit, the first being on the previous Sunday when there were crowds of people and not much room to maneuver. It was a different story on Friday afternoon when there were times that I had the place almost to myself. When I wasn’t crouching down, I was looking up or twisting round and performing all kinds of contortions in order to get a different view of the blooms on show.

It’s not always easy to separate flowers from the surrounding foliage and sometimes it’s necessary to get into some rather undignified postures just to get the right angle.

 

They change the theme of the show every year and this time it was all about color and light, with some intriguing installations to highlight the displays. This one with the mirrored globes provided an interesting view of the orchids from different perspectives.

And another, with various colored strings that caught the rays of the sun through the greenhouse windows, provided ample opportunity to view the flowers in a whole different light.

While the towering chandelier, although not the easiest thing to access, still offered a variety of angles that resulted in a few interesting shots.

I always feel like a kid in a candy store as I’m taking in the sights at the show. There are just so many delightful blooms to reward the effort of a few somewhat uncomfortable moments of trying to get up from a kneeling position. The ends justify the means in this case.

 

 

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Future

What does she, the darling descendant of a fortune-telling traveler, see in her future? It is certainly less bleak than that of my great-grandmother and her 11 siblings who were brought up in the poorhouses of London, but is it secure?  If the children are our future, then hopefully it will not be too late for her generation to put right the wrongs that have been done in the name of power, profit and political gain, especially over the past few years.

This is my response to Ann-Christine’s request for us to look to the Future for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Cold

This week, Tina has chosen Cold as the subject for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. There was a time, not so long ago, when I would have thought nothing of standing around in the cold capturing images at the nature center. These days it’s almost impossible to convince myself that it’s worth the effort to put on fifty layers of clothing and risk slipping on the ice just for a few pictures, which is why I had to go some way back in the photo files to find these, taken at Spring Valley Nature Center in Schaumburg.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Patiently Waiting

This week, Amy has chosen Waiting as the subject for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.  I know very little about horses, but one thing I’ve noticed is that they are very adept at waiting patiently.  The definition of ‘patient’ is to be able to accept or tolerate delays, problems or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. The definition of ‘waiting’ is the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens. Horses seem to have got this down to a fine art.  We humans could learn a thing or two from them.

Places in order of appearance; Wade House in Greenbush, Wisconsin – Fountain Square in Indianapolis, Indiana – Mackinac Island, Michigan – Wausau, Wisconsin – Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, Illinois – Volkening Heritage Farm in Schaumburg, Illinois (2) – Old World Wisconsin near Eagle, Wisconsin.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Monochrome

This week, Patti has chosen Monochrome as the subject for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.  Without the distraction of color (at a very colorful event) I can concentrate on capturing the strength of features and character in the faces. Pictures taken at a local Pow Wow in Elk Grove Village a few years ago.