August 10, 2019 • 158

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #58: Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a sixpence in her shoe–Old English Rhyme

I’m sure most of you know the wedding custom of wearing something old, new, borrowed, and blue on your wedding day to bring good luck. According to an old English rhyme, these items can bring anyone good luck any time.

For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, we’re inviting you to go on a photo scavenger hunt and find places or things that are old, new, borrowed, and/or blue.

Here are some guidelines:

Plan to visit a place near or far, such as a park, a neighborhood, a city, or even your own home. If you wish, you have the option of “visiting” your photo archives.
During your visit, look for places or things that are: 1. old, 2. new, 3. borrowed, and/or 4. blue. For an extra challenge, take (or find) a photo that combines some or all of these qualities.
Take (or select) as many photos as you wish.
If you visit a place, give yourself a set amount of time for the hunt, such as an afternoon, a day, or a weekend.
How many places or things do you need to capture (or select)? That’s up to you.

To get you started, I’ll share my recent scavenger hunt in rural New York State.

Something Old

This summer, we’re spending some time with family in northern New York/New Jersey. For the scavenger hunt, I decided to visit the rural town of Pine Island, famous for its fertile black soil and its onions. These twin silos and decaying barn called to me. I processed this shot with the Silver Effects filter from the Nik Collection and a sepia tint to highlight the rough texture of the silos and their age.

Twin Silos, Pine Island, NY

Something New and Blue

This shot of young corn falls into the “something new” category. The beautiful evening sky and the building fit “something blue.” I also love the pinwheel and other colorful decoys, which keep away the birds. For this shot I bumped up the saturation and cropped the shot a little on the left.

New Corn, Pine Island, NY

Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

Further down the road, we spotted the Blue Arrow Farm and a campground with several teepees. This shot incorporates all 4 qualities: teepees are an “old” dwelling created by Native Americans; at the same time, these teepees are “new” because they have plastic covers instead of the traditional animal hides; the teepees are also “borrowed” because the owners of the camp use the Indian-style dwellings in a modern-day camp. And finally, the shot is “blue” because of the sky and the teepees’ decorations.

Processing this shot was relatively simple. The sky was magnificent that evening, so I just needed to bump up the contrast and crop the shot a bit in the foreground.

We love our photo “conversations” with you each week as you create posts on the weekly themes. We invite you to join us again this week for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #58: Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue.

Last week, many of you jumped into Tina’s challenge and shared different ways of “Taking a Break.” The variety and originality of your responses were marvelous.

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?

Chris Breebaart of What’s (in) the Picture shares his grandson’s favorite way of taking a break
Mei-Mei explores a great way to take a break in Spain
Jez Braithwaite posts images of an idyllic stay in Serra Canyon in California.

If you’re new to the challenges, click here to learn how to join us. Remember to link your post here and tag it Lens-Artists to help us find your post in the WP Reader.

Next week, it’s Ann-Christine’s turn to lead the challenge, so be sure to visit her blog. As always, Amy, Tina, Ann-Christine, and I thank you for your support of our challenge!