May 30, 2020 • 56

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #99: Old and New

Old and new make the warp and woof of every moment. There is no thread that is not a twist of these two strands.~Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the present moment, we live in the shadow of the past.  They are both intertwined.  For someone like me who is obsessed with history, I am always looking for those wonderful times when the past is juxtaposed with the present.

Amy’s challenge for LAPC #99  has sent me on a hunt through my archives to find images that reflect both old and new in one image.

This first shot is a favorite moment.  I reprocessed it in sepia tones to highlight a modern-day family climbing an ancient Roman road in the Capitoline Hills of Rome. I loved how the late afternoon light hit the surrounding trees and the three people.

This next shot taken in the Alfama district in Lisbon contrasts centuries-old architecture with modern street art.

Every time I look at this image I have to smile.  I captured this Continental infantryman checking his cell phone early one morning in Boston.

Continental infantryman checks his iPhone. Shot with a Canon 40D. Boston, Massachusetts

I’m a huge fan of David Bowie, so I had to see an exhibit at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, featuring the photographs of Bowie by the Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita.  In this shot you can see the contrast between the fifteenth-century residence of the Medici family with an iconic photo of Bowie shot by Sukita, a long-time friend of the creative artist.

Bowie in Florence, Shot with a Fuji X-T2

The theme of “old and new” resonates with me today–as the world struggles to “tame” the covid virus.  I am just starting Polio:  An American Story by David M. Oshinsky about the race to find a vaccine for polio–to see the historical parallels with the present. This book won the Pulitzer Prize for History and promises to be an intriguing read.

In closing, I hope you join us this week for Amy’s Old and New challenge!   Please stop by her site to see her beautiful images of the past and present in London and Egypt.  Include a link to Amy’s challenge post and use the “Lens-Artists” tag so we can find your post in the WP Reader.

To give you a heads-up, here’s our schedule for the next few weeks:

In closing, I hope you stay well and stay safe as parts of the world start re-opening. We will be sheltering in place here in New Hampshire until at least mid-June.  By then, I hope we will begin to find the delicate balance between freedom and safety.  I am ever mindful of the mounting costs–both in human life and the economy.  Through all this, please keep creating!  Your presence in our online community helps to reassure us all that we are not alone.

Categories: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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56 replies »

  4. Pingback: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #99: Old and New — P.A. Moed | THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON...

    • Thank you, Tina. 😊😊 I loved those moments. The great thing about photography is that it helps me to remember them. I hope you are well and enjoying the wonderful weather.

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      • agree wholeheartedly Patti – I too remember things I’ve photographed much more easily. As for the weather, yes it’s lovely but heating up fast!

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  13. Excellent selections, Patti. Stories are well told through your beautiful photos. Thank you for your reassurance.
    For some reason, I miss seeing your link/pingback in my comment section, will take another look. The link you made here works perfectly.

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      • Thank you, Patti. When I clicked the link on your post, it worked. I’ve noticed at least two posts that didn’t show the pingback. It happens…

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  14. Lovely images Patti and great stories too. I love the modern family walking on the ancient road, and the delightful street art in Lisbon’s old town, but the one that made me smile was the infantryman and his phone 🙂

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  15. Those damned cell phones! I have a photo of a “British Infantryman” sitting in a pub in Boston talking on his cell phone. He was trying to hide it, pressing the phone to his ear by covering it with his palm… it was easy to see the outline of the phone sticking out in various parts of his hand. >grin<

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  17. Gorgeous photographs Patti, I love these moments and scenes you’ve captured happily existing side by side xxx

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  20. Great choices. The Lisbon art is fun. I can imagine walking down the street and looking to have the art looking back at you. Very nice. I can so appreciate the Boston photo. When we were in Germany during Oktoberfest, I got a kick out of all the girls in the traditional dress on their phones as well. Enjoy NH.

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  24. Superb interpretation, Patti! I love the first two – so very different in style – and that’s a fabulous Bowie image. We are probably sheltering a little less in the Algarve, but population density is low here, until the tourists arrive. Then we may have cause to worry. One step at a time, and with caution. Wishing you well 🤗💕

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  25. I love that sepia walk, Patti – but all of them are excellent. Bowie – beautiful choice of a great man. I agree with you and so many others – it is hard to accept he has left us. A great post.

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    • Thank you so much, AC. ❤️❤️ I was amazed at his creative genius in so many areas. Thanks as always for your thoughts. I hope you are doing OK, despite the craziness!

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  32. Hi Patti when I scaled down my blog presence and came I back, I realized that I had un-followed a few bloggers well I didn’t. Don;t know how that but i have set that right
    By the way I an disappointed given your knowledge of history that you call that a cell phone. It is common knowledge that Continental infantryman carried a few flat stones on their bodies in the hope that bullets will hit the stones. That particular shape is Lucky stone number 2…

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