February 13, 2021 • 62

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #135: A Glimpse into Your World

Show us the things you love that make your world spin or things about your world that make you delirious with joy.~Sheetal Bravon

  • Lighthouse, Chicago Harbor
  • Street Art, Florence Italy
  • Camera Flashbacks
  • Air Show, Ann Arbor, MI


  • MFA, Boston
  • The Key to My Heart

This week, the very talented Sheetal Bravon is our guest host for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #135. For her theme, “A Glimpse into Your World,” I’ve created a collection of images which give me a world of pleasure and hopefully, they will put a smile on your face, too.

This image taken at the Ann Arbor Air Show represents my love of travel and flying. I’ll never grow tired of the excitement of sitting inside a plane as it gathers speed and lifts off from the ground. As it soars into the wide, blue sky, I couldn’t be any happier.

It will come as no surprise that I love cameras–both antique and modern. These old Kodak cameras remind me of the Brownie Starmite from my childhood.

This image of Florentine street art represents three of my “loves.” The first one is Italy, the home of my ancestors, my favorite food, and of course the beautiful and mellifluous Italian language. It is also the place which has inspired creative artists for centuries–writers, painters, sculptors, and most recently, street artists. In the blue rectangle, you’ll see the work of the street artist “Blub,” another happy obsession. His works are inspired by classic artistic masterpieces and they also include a quirky twist–snorkeling goggles–his signature trademark. On top of Blub’s image, you’ll also see the work of another graffiti artist inspired (perhaps) by Banksy. The red heart is also a joyful reminder for all of us of Valentine’s Day, which arrives this weekend. The people we love make our lives so much richer and give us immeasurable joy, don’t they?

As many of you know, I love lighthouses–another happy obsession. This image of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse was captured several years ago using a telephoto lens at the end of the Navy Pier. I processed the image in black and white to highlight the quiet and meditative mood of the city on a foggy day.

This image includes 3 treasured mementos from our travels and from one of our homes. The Vermeer paperweight is from a trip with our son to Amsterdam and the lace tablecloth is from our first visit to Venice when our son was a teenager. The key is from our 100-year-old home in Massachusetts and unlocked a mysterious door that we could never find. These mementos don’t take up a lot of space, but they summon many happy memories.

This last image signifies my love of art and exploring art museums, like the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. That’s where I discovered this antique chair with the most unusual arm rest.

While I was working on this post, I kept glancing at an image by René Magritte on the bulletin board above my desk. It’s a portrait of Magritte’s wife Georgette surrounded by various items which reveal her interests and personality.  For fun, I decided to combine all the images in this post into a photo college in an homage to Magritte’s oil painting, as you can see below.  I framed my image in the center using a Topaz Filter.  Then, I added all the other images in a circle around it.  I hope you enjoy my experiment!

Rene Magritte, Georgette, 1935 & My Favorite Things, 2021

We hope you join our special guest host this week, the wonderfully creative Sheetal of Sheetal Thinks Aloud.  Be sure to stop by her site, so you can enjoy her fabulous visit to an iconic site in India.  Next week, I’ll be hosting Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #136, so please be sure to come back and join the fun!  In the meantime, have a wonderful, creative week and please stay safe.

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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62 replies »

  3. Hi, Jo. Thank you! I decided it was time to “mix things up” a bit. Glad you like it!! I hope you can join us, too. What would you add besides your walks and cake and time with family…um….😀😃. I hope you’re enjoying the weekend.

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  6. Well Patti, it seems we were thinking along similar lines this week. We are both fortunate to have so many fond memories and things we truly love. The collage approach seemed a good way to share more of those things than single images. Your Magritte-styled creation is marvelous, as is your header this week. Happy Valentines Day to you!

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    • When I read that, I took a quick look at your post. Yes, it’s true. We were thinking along the same lines! It’s also true that we are VERY fortunate. I really don’t want to take that for granted…ever. As for the collage, I’m having fun with some of the new image blocks. Magritte was fun. I’m always amazed at PS’s capabilities to process images. The insert feature is fun. Take care and I hope the skies clear!

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  7. These are all wonderful images but the “key to my heart” has to be my favorite. It looks like the paperweight is a mirror and the woman is in your room. Also I love linen tablecloths. Old school I know but they have such a rich texture and elegance about them.

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    • Hi, Anne. Thanks!! So it looks like the woman is in my room… interesting! The old tablecloths are wonderful, aren’t they? I have a huge linen one that I never use. I keep thinking our grandchildren will want these…someday… but my son’s generation definitely doesn’t. Take care and thanks as always for your thoughtful comments!

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  9. Pingback: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #135: A glimpse into my (snowy) world! – Calling-all-RushBabes

  11. Do I sound repetitive if I say, I’m blown away by your post this week. Your words not only painted a pretty picture but the photos were outstanding too. My heart leapt when I saw Florence and Blub’s work but then you know how Firenze affects me. Then of course there was the Vermeer paperweight and a key, century old that opens a mysterious door. I was hooked and didn’t stop till the very end which was the icing on the cake. Absolutely brilliant Patti! It was love all the way.
    Also thank you for all your kind words and for this amazing guest host opportunity. I’m floating in air .

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    • Thank you, Sheetal!! I’m on cloud 9! I’m delighted to hear that. It’s funny how things like the key take on meaning and have memories attached to them. I remember being annoyed years ago when I couldn’t find the door that opened with that key!! Again, thank YOU for the inspiration this week.

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    • Hi, Ana. Wonderful!! I wasn’t sure about the collage. I have to figure out how to change the shape of a photo into an oval!! But putting a frame around the image was fun. I’m delighted you enjoyed it. I hope all’s well with you, too.

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  13. ..Great post, Patti…an interesting glimpse into your world. Like you, travel has always been a big thing for me. I love your collage, and the putting together of mementos

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    • Hi, Amy. That’s great! I’m delighted you enjoyed it. The collage was a fun experiment. I’ve still got to figure out how to transform an image from a rectangle to an oval! I’m looking forward to your post, too.😀. I hope all’s well with you.

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  16. I enjoyed viewing your images this week. That collage at the finish puts it all together for the viewer.
    That’s a great view of the lighthouse. It is rare for me to be in locations where they proliferate (landlocked as I am.) You and I share the same love for aviation. Even in a crowded airliner, sitting in an aisle seat, I enjoy the feeling of freedom as those powerful engines “slip the surly bonds of earth.” When I am at the controls of those small planes that I fly, that feeling is so much more.

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  17. Hi, John. I wonder if I could live in a landlocked place for long. Then again, we lived in Michigan for many years, but we had Lake Michigan, which could almost feel like the ocean at times!! I was thinking of you when I wrote that part about flying. I knew you’d feel the same way! I never got my license, but wish I had been able to do that. It must be an amazing feeling to be at the controls. One of my favorite memories was flying in a 2-seater and experiencing figure 8 maneuvers. Wow! Glad you enjoyed the post, too!

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  18. A lovely response to the challenge Patti and I especially love your image of the Vermeer paperweight on the Venician lace with the old key – it makes for a wonderful still life 💜

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  19. Ah, a delightful, playful and fun post on the theme, Patti! Love, love your collage! How clever – and then to use the slider there. I don’t have a clue how you made that collage though…you will have to give us a lecture on that!

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    • Hi, AC…Many thanks for your thoughts on this and the big smile you gave me! The collage is surprisingly easy. After creating a background of just the sky (cropped from another image and enlarged), I clicked and dragged other images into the sky background. You have the option to resize and move the image on the background and then you click “enter” to finalize the size and position. I watched a few videos on how to do it and they showed fairly complicated ways to do this. Finally, I just figured out this method on my own. It was wonderfully easy!!

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