This week John invites us to explore the photographic composition tools of perspective, depth and scale. Having consulted some favorite AI resources, the most concise explanations are:
Perspective – the angle or viewpoint from which you photograph a subject
Depth – Creating an illusion of 3-dimensionality through depth of field or perspective
Scale – The relative size relationship between objects
I’ve chosen to illustrate these elements through a single subject, the beautiful hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park. The image above includes as much of the scene as I was able to capture although the scene is far larger than I’ve shown. In this case it is the perspective of the image that creates a sense of the scale of the park.On the other hand, the 3 images that follow all feature the configuration on the right side of the image below.First, we see it as a beautiful element that stands almost like the towers of a castle.To me this one feels three-dimensional and illustrates the depth of the scene.
Castle of Hoodoos
“Sometimes there is an obvious perspective, but it is important never to be satisfied with that.”
Michael Kenna
Captured by a zoom lens up close we see the hoodoo completely differently.
Hoodoo Up Close and Personal
“Let’s pause, change perspective and see things more clearly.”
Sergio da Silva
Finally, this is what the hoodoo looked like from a distance (just right of center). As you can see, it is still a distinct element of the vast scene but the image gives us a better sense of scale as it blends into its surroundings. As an aside, I’m not sure if the clouds came before or after, but we were there when a massive storm arrived. My husband and I waited it out in our car and when it ended we had the entire park to ourselves. Well worth the wait!
Stormy Skies
“All it takes is just a little change of perspective and you begin to see a whole new world.”
Bob Ross
Because John has limited us to six images, I’ll add two perspectives of one more element of the incredible vistas of Bryce Canyon.
Hoodoo on the Left
“Life is about perspective and how you look at something… ultimately, you have to zoom out.”
Whitney Wolfe Herd
The image above shows the hoodoo on the left appearing to be larger in size and rather standalone vs those that appear on the right. In the image the follows, the same hoodoo is lost somewhere within the grand vista. There are no standouts, rather the perspective seen by the couple enjoying the view, and by those of you visiting my post, It that all of the hoodoos are virtually the same or at the very least, similar. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Enjoying the View
“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.”
Allen Klein
That will do it for me this week. My thanks to John for offering us such an interesting perspective 😊 on these three elements of photography. We look forward to seeing your responses. Please be sure to link to John’s post on his site here, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Thanks also to those who responded to last week’s look back at our very first challenge, Wonder. Who knew back then that we’d still be here 402 challenges later! Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Beth leads us once again on her Wandering Dawgs site. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
Note: We will be traveling this week. I will try to respond whenever possible
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“A velvet hand, a hawk’s eye- these we should all have.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson
This week Sofia takes us all the way back to our very first Lens-Artists challenge – Wonder. Incredibly, today we are now at number 402! Both we and you, our readers and participants, have grown and evolved since our initial post in 2018. Back then we did not number our posts but just for fun you can visit my very first challenge response here.
For this week I’ve chosen to highlight some recent images capturing examples of the incredible nature here on Kiawah. Above we see a beautiful hawk that flew in to pose as my husband and I were enjoying an evening with friends on Kiawah’s beach. Along similar lines, the lovely visitors below are three of the thousands of endangered red knots that stop-over on Kiawah during their 19,000 mile (30,000+km) journey back to the Arctic.
Feeding Red Knots
“Tame birds sing of freedom. Wild birds fly.”
John Lennon
One of my favorite creatures on Kiawah is the Great Blue Heron. I’ve often shared images of them as seen throughout our little island. I came upon this one last week hunting for breakfast in a nearby pond. I loved the color combination contrasting the grey-blue of the bird with the bright green of the spring grasses.
Blue and Green Au Natural
“I don’t feed the birds because they need me; I feed the birds because I need them.”
Kathi Hutton
For the bird image that follows, I laughed at a situation in which I found myself during my daily walk the other day. While I’m fairly certain it was not the case, it sure seemed the bird was studying the warning about our many alligators. Somehow I’m guessing the bird was already aware of the danger, but on the other hand I’ve been a witness to the remains of more than one egret that was not quite cautious enough.
Studying A Warning
“If you listen to birds, every day will have a song in it.”
Kyo Macclear
I’ll close today’s post with a related subject that is definitely NOT a bird! However since springtime here on Kiawah is quickly becoming summer, this lovely blossom is one of the few that remain. Our magnolias are among the most beautiful, and the most ephemeral “residents” of the island.
Marvelous Magnolia
“The magnolia tree, its creamy white petals bending low in seasonal farewell.”
Hugo Williams
With that I’ll close today’s post with a nod to all those who have helped to keep our challenge alive through the years – and to the many challenges still to come! Sincere thanks to Sofia for returning us to our roots – please be sure to link your response to her original here, and to use the Lens-artists tag to help us find you. Thanks also to those who joined us for last week’s Focus on the Subject – a terrific reminder of some important elements of photography. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when John leads us once again on his Journeys with Johnbo site. Until then as always please remember to stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“What matters most is to focus on what matters most.”
Roy T. Bennett
This week Patti delves into some of the approaches photographers use to create images that express our thoughts and ideas. I’ve opened with an image that actually surprised me. It turns out, not only do alligators have two eyelids on each eye, they also have a third eyelid which works a bit like swim goggles under water. The image shows a young gator emerging from a pond with its eyelids still covering its eyes. The image is an example of varying the subject’s placement. In this case not only is the gator in the bottom third of the image, it is also in clear focus while the background of the image has been softened in post processing. Along similar lines, the image that follows illustrates the concept of selective focus, in this case the softening was created in-camera.
Cattle Egret, Selective Focus
“It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.”
Nathan W. Morris
The image that follows, captured from my kitchen window, illustrates the concept of negative space. The subject, the pesky little squirrel and the tree on which it is sitting are in focus, while the negative space in the background of the image is softened. The effect is created by using a lower aperture number which portrays the subject distinctly but blurs the background.
Cheeky Critter, Negative Space
“Find your focus by seeking all that is good in your life.”
Llori Myers
Another technique Patti addressed is using a simple background. In this case I’ve gone back to a favorite image from our trip to Australia. While there we visited pro golfer Greg Norman’s Winery on the Limestone Coast. My husband is our wine expert and he tells me the wine was excellent. I was more focused (pun intended) on the gorgeous winery, its beautiful grounds, and the wealth of mementos related to Norman’s golf achievements.
Greg Norman’s Australian Winery, Simple Background
“Singular focus is the friend to success.””
Benjamin Lotter
I’ll close with an image I captured through my dining room window. This little guy was singing its heart out on the railing of our back deck. It was focused on our roof so perhaps its parent or sibling was up there. In any case I moved closer and closer until I could catch it in song and this is the result. I’ve included it as an example of Patti’s suggestion to “get closer”.
Singing Bird, Get Close
“Commitment is the foundation of focus.”
Shannon L. Adler
That will do it for me this week. Thanks to Patti for the beautifully illustrated review of some important concepts in photography. We hope you’ll join us by creating your own post and linking it to Patti’s post here. Be sure to use the Lens-Artists tag to appear in our reader section. Thanks also to all of the respondents and comments on my Rule of Three challenge last week. It was great fun seeing your responses and hearing how many of you, like me, hadn’t heard of the concept previously. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Sofia leads us once again on her Photographias site. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life….it goes on.”
Robert Frost
This week our challenge is a bit of a twist on a well-known concept in photography. We often discuss the “rule of thirds” which divides an image visually into 9 equal segments – using two vertical and two horizontal lines. The rule of threes on the other hand depicts images which contain three subjects. This is a lesser-known photographic concept but perhaps one worthy of further exploration.
Three Buds
“By three methods we learn wisdom: by reflection, which is noblest; by imitation, which is easiest; by experience, which is bitterest.”
Confucius
The basic idea of the “rule” is that images with three subjects (or more, but always an odd number) are more appealing and therefore more memorable. Apparently the concept is used fairly widely in advertising, painting, interior design, and film. Off the top of my head I can think of several well-known examples – Three’s Company, Three Amigos, The Three Musketeers, Three Coins in a Fountain….you get the idea! While I’ve never knowingly focused on the concept in my photography, as I reviewed my database it’s apparently something I’m drawn to without understanding why. Who Knew?!
Three Sheep
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”
Lao Tzu
If one uses AI to search on the subject, there are quite a few reasons listed for the idea. Among them, that our eyes are drawn more to odd numbers than even, that the viewer’s eyes are drawn across the image, and that groups of three are more “interesting, memorable and satisfying”. I’m not sure I’d agree 100% with all of that, but it’s something to consider as we review some of our own or others’ favorite images.The personal favorite I’ve included below seems to support the point.
Three Monks
“There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning.”
Christopher Morley
The UK’s Institute of Photography teaches that the number 3 is important based on the way our brains “read” an image. According to them, “3 is the first number we can arrive at whereby a grouping doesn’t necessarily need to be formed…It’s easy to read, count and is said to be more satisfying across a range of disciplines, from storytelling, humor and imagery alike.” Finally, from AI “The three items do not have to be identical. They can be different sizes, textures, or depths, provided they form a cohesive group.”
Three Monkeys
“There are three points of view to everything – mine, yours, and the truth.”
Oriana Fallaci
I’ll close with a final personal favorite I’ve also used in the past. During our safari in Africa we came upon these three joyful children walking home from school. I loved everything about them, especially their amazing smiles. If there had been two or four children would it have made any difference? Perhaps not, but they do seem to fit today’s theory 😉.
Heading Home
“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.”
Plato
That will do it for me this week. I hope you’ll join me in exploring the concept of 3 in photography. Perhaps you’ll find examples in your own work, or if not, maybe head out to see how many 3’s you can find once you start looking! Please remember to use the Lens-Artists Tag in your response and to link to my post to help us find you. We offer thanks to Egidio and to his respondents for last week’s beautiful explorations of being “stuck in place”. I’ll admit this was a new concept for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you did too. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Patti leads us once again on her P.A. Moed site. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.”
N.R. Narayana Murthy
This week Egidio asks us to “get stuck in one place”. Anyone who knows me knows how hard that is for me😊. But a challenge is a challenge so off I went to capture some of the waning sun and sunset on nearby Cougar Point Golf Course. The choice was made easy because a) I can walk there and b) it has a perfect view of the sunset over water. Above, a bridge from my favorite viewing tower to the course, below, Cougar hole number 5 surrounded by one of this year’s highest tides.
Hole #5, Cougar Point Golf Course
“No other game combines the wonder of nature with the discipline of sport in such carefully planned ways.”
Tom Watson
It is hard to believe but in fact I DID follow Egidio’s instructions about moving a max of 15 steps in any direction (albeit they were pretty large steps!) The beauty of the location I chose is that it intersects three very different areas – the Kiawah River, Cougar Point Golf Course and the bridge to our viewing tower. The 2 images above are seen looking to my right, the river (and sunset) are directly in front of me, and the twilight image below is far to my left. Although I only used a single lens I did crop the image that follows to feature the trees in the distance.
Distant view, nearing sunset
“Twilight drops her curtain down, and pins it with a star.”
Lucy Maud Montgomery
I actually erred in my timing as I’d planned for twilight to be the beginning of my adventure, but I was pleased that the early evening light in the opening image was so lovely. That said, the sunset that evening was glorious. In the image that follows, the sun was still too bright to photograph so instead I focused on its reflection on the water.
Sunset’s Golden Hue
“The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the color that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again.”
Ram Charan
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the tones of my images transitioned from golden to orange and red. I loved how the trees became more prominent as the light softened.
Sunset Hues and Tree
“If you are in a beautiful place where you can enjoy sunrise and sunset, then you are living like a lord.”
Nathan Phillips
Palmetto at Sunset
“I like that time is marked by each sunrise and sunset whether or not you actually see it.”
Catherine Opie
One never knows if Mother Nature will gift us with her best efforts but sunset on the evening I chose for Egidio’s exercise had to have been among them. To be honest, I rarely take my camera with me here on Kiawah but for this week’s exercise I thought it important to be prepared. In hindsight I must admit the evening would not have been the same without it, and I thank Egidio for pushing me enough to realize it would be important.
In closing, sincere thanks to Egidio for the mild push 😉. Also, a reminder to check out and link to his beautiful post hereand to use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you. Thanks also to those who responded to Ritva’s Choose a Color challenge last week. It was great fun to see all of the possibilities you explored! Finally, I hope you’ll join us next week when I’ll lead the challenge here on Travels and Trifles. In the meanwhile as always please remember to stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“Blue is the only color which maintains its own character in all its tones. It will always stay blue.”
Raoul Dufy
This week Ritva challenges us to focus on color – either a single color for all images, or a different color for each image, but no more than six images in total. YIKES! That’s a lot to think about 😉 After a bit of thought, I’ve focused my response of one of my favorites – found both in nature and with man-made objects – the color blue.
I captured the image above during our visit to China. In virtually every direction it seemed there were amazing sites to see and explore – many of them centuries old. On the other hand, here in the U.S. “history” is more often discussed in the hundreds of years, offering an entirely different perspective.That said, even a slightly older fence filled with lovely flowers still offers an opportunity for a watchful eye.
Fence and Flowers
“The deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls man towards the infinite.”
Wassily Kandinsky
With an admission of a slight cheat on Ritva’s 6 maximum, I’ve combined two images into a single entry. It seemed to me that these two are a perfect pair, so how could I resist?!
Blue on Blue
“Great shades of blue, you find them in nature. They’re all magic.”
Bryan Batt
It seems Mr. Batt in the quote above has touched on an important element of today’s challenge, ie. the blues we find in nature. Not only the sky and several of Mother Nature’s beautiful winged creatures, but also many of her oceans and rivers. We found one of the more interesting appearances of nature’s blue during a visit to Yellowstone National Park which houses over 500 active geysers.
Shades of Blue, Yellowstone National Park
“A certain blue enters your soul.”
Henri Matisse
Departing for a moment from the serious beauty of nature’s blues, I thought a smile might be in order with the next image. Found in China some years back, I hoped one day to use it here – and voila!
A Step Back In Time
“Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Deity to be a source of delight.”
John Ruskin
Finally, an image I’ve shared before that always brings me a smile. Happily, the subject of the image is blue!
Unique Musician
“Blue is more than a colour: it is a feeling…blue requires earthly magic.”
Lucy H. Pearce
That will do it for me this week – probably a good thing that Ritva restricted us a bit! Be sure to see her beautiful challenge post here, and remember to both link to it in your response and to use the “Lens-Artists” tag to appear in our reader section. We thank all of those who responded to last week’s Texture challenge which generated a wonderful variety of images. Finally we hope you’ll join us next week when Egidio leads us once again on his Through Brazilian Eyes post. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“Shifting light, textures, shades; these are my companions.”
Steve Coleman
This week Anne has invited us to share images that reveal the beauty of textures. We all have moments when our eyes are drawn not so much to the whole as to the intricate details of a subject. Here on Kiawah textures surround us – as I suppose they do most everywhere. My opening focuses closely on two very different trees, both captured during our travels. I’ll admit I’m not a fan of carving initials into a tree but for today’s purpose I felt it met the brief. On the other hand the image that follows is indeed here on Kiawah, but sadly appears in need of a bit of repair!
“The peculiar virtue of photography,…is its power of revealing all textures and revealing all details.”
Ananda Kentish Muthu Coomaraswamy
Some textures draw us in, while others keep us at our distance. The textures that follow definitely fall into the latter category. I learned this valuable lesson while visiting my brother in Arizona and photographing cacti on his property. Apparently the needles they shed are strong enough to get through the soles of soft slippers!
Beware the Prickly Cacti!
“Photography is space, light, texture, of course, but the really important element is time.”
Ezra Stoller
There are times when we are drawn to objects without understanding why. Such was the case with the image that follows. I’m happy to have a chance to share it – who knew there would be a challenge pretty much made for it?!
Crusty
“Photography has an amazing ability to capture the fine detail of surface textures.”
Arthur Tress
I’ll close this week with three sets of architectural images. I’ve collected many architectural textures over the years-these are a few of my favorites.
Windows and Shutters
“The mixture of weird textures and organic surfaces creates an interesting dialogue.”
Kelly Wearstler
Climbing Walls
“Each moment has different flavor, different beauty and different texture.”
Amit Ray
Decaying Doors
“Remember, too, that texture is an important element. “
Anne Fogarty
That will do it for me this week. Sincere thanks to Anne for the opportunity to visit the interesting aspects of texture. Be sure to visit her beautiful post here, and to link to it in your response. Thanks also to Ann-Christine for her fun quotes challenge – I must admit I’m totally addicted to quotes so I loved having a chance to feature them. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Egidio leads us once again. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“The painted bunting doesn’t know it’s a miracle. It simply shows up wearing all the colors the rest of us only dream in.”
Claude, Anthropic AI
This week Ann-Christine offers us an opportunity to focus on quotes, letting them lead us to appropriate images. She limits us to no more than 5 examples. Those who follow me know I’m a fan of using quotes to help tell a story, so I’m definitely up for the challenge – game on Ann-Christine!
Today’s opening image above featuresone of our most elusive birds, a beautifully-colored male painted bunting. I started with a quote generated by Claude AI which I thought might be an interesting twist.We’ll let Ann-Christine be the judge 😉. As for the imagethat follows, it reminds me of the term “strange bedfellows”. Although the bird may be safe as the gator naps, I wouldn’t be so quick to assume it will not wake up hungry!
Brave Bird and Gator
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
Nelson Mandela
It seems birds like to avoid having their feet in the water, although my opening image seems to contradict that theory. That said, both the image above and the one which follows seem to support the idea.The bird below is a yellow-crowned night heron juvenile – the spots on the tips of its wings are the giveaway. I loved the quote that follows the image.
Bird on a Branch
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”
Rabindranath Tagore
While the image above is relatively new, the one that follows, a long-time favorite, goes back to my days with Nikon. I’ll admit as much as I love the ease of my iPhone and certainly its ubiquity (and of course we all know how far it’s come), there are times I truly miss the capabilities of mycameras and their amazing lenses. The quote that follows the image rings all too true for me.
Reflecting
“What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”
Aaron Siskind
I’ll close with an image that truly brings me a smile. For me, somehow the cooperation between the two unrelated species speaks to the importance of just getting along, and perhaps as importantly to a willingness to share. It would be nice if we humans managed co-mingling as well as it seems they do.
Sharing is Caring
“In the natural world, there must be a balance; man, animals and mother Earth, sharing the same space.”
Tim Mantoani
That will do it for me this week, having adhered to Ann-Christine’s 5-max limit 😉. Check out her as-always beautiful post here, and be sure to link to it in your response. Our thanks to those who responded to Beth’s Look-back last week, we applaud your creativity with “On The Water”. Finally we hope you’ll join us next week when Anne leads us once again on her Slow Shutter Speed site. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Cousteau
This week Beth’s challenge asks us to revisit #155, “on the water”. For one who lives by the sea, the challenge offers a different test – which of many images to include! So this week I’m offering variety, both in location and subject matter. I’ve opened with this week’s fun sighting of a large flock of critically endangered red knots which stop over on Kiawah as they fly from earth’s pole to pole. Much less rare, the image that follows – although we don’t often see birds actually dancing on TOP of the water.Cha cha anyone?!
Dancing Egret
“Let the waves carry you where the light can not.”
Mohit Kaushik
A final bird image follows, this time a lone seagull captured during our visit to Alaska’s beautiful Glacier Bay.
Afloat in Glacier Bay
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Yves Cousteau
There are of course other creatures in and on the sea worthy of note. Some favorite examples follow including this one which I captured with my iPhone yesterday. I’d sure liked to have had my long lens for this sighting!
Dolphins Passing By
“Who doesn’t like dolphins? They’re like puppies.”
Austin Stowell
I’m not sure I’d agree with Mr. Stowell that dolphins are like puppies, especially based on more recent findings about their intelligence. Here on Kiawah we often see them strand feeding, a clever team practice which herds baitfish up onto the beach in a frenzy of activity that provides pods of dolphins with an easy meal! You can see them in action here: https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com/2021/02/21/lens-artists-challenge-136-s-for-strand-feeding-and-scavengers/.
Along Kiawah’s many waterways, residents and visitors alike not only enjoy watching the dolphins strand feeding, we also take small boats and kayaks out to see them close up – as in the image that follows.
Enjoying The Company of Creatures
“Free, wild dolphins are among the most joyous creatures on Earth.”
Wayne Gerard Trotman
Of course dolphins are not the only sea creatures that capture the attention of their human counterparts. Our visit to Alaska allowed us to see many varieties of the ocean’s largest residents – whales. Although I have many images, and even more memories of those sightings, I’ve chosen instead to include a very old image that has subjects both ON the water and IN it 😉.
A Whale’s Tail
“Ships are expendable; the whales are not.”
Paul Watson
Finally, when thinking about being On The Water, I couldn’t close without including the image that follows.This boat is a bit unusual – a big yellow taxi that I suspect would be found in very few places other than NYC.
Big Yellow Taxi, NYC
“Late last night, I heard the screen door slam, And a big yellow taxi took away my old man.”
Joni Mitchell
That will do it for me this week, I had fun revisiting our long-ago challenge and thinking about how to address it a second time. Thanks to Beth for leading us – be sure to link your response to her post here. Thanks also to John and all of his respondents for the fun look back at history. The range of historic timeframes was terrific! Finally, be sure to visit us next week when Ann-Christine leads us once again on her Leya blog. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
This week John’s history challenge is focused on some very interesting places here in the U.S. For my response, I decided to look quite a bit further back and farther away. I was initially undecided but eventually came down to considering two of my favorite experiences with a focus on ancient history. I chose Jordan’s Petra, estimated to be over 2,000 years old because it is less well-known than China’s Great Wall, which was my other choice.
I’ve opened above with an image of Petra’s amphitheater which offers a good example of its “Rose City” nickname. In its prime it seated thousands – in my image there are only three. Can you find them? All of Petra’s remaining structures are of a similar color, and all are actually carved into the beautiful rose rock. The image that follows is perhaps Petra’s most famous structure, The Treasury building.Interestingly, within the structure archaeologists found a tomb with12 skeletons as recently as 2024.
The Treasury, Petra, Jordan
“Study the past if you would define the future.”
Confucius
The image below captures one of Petra’s largest buildings, The Urn Tomb. It is believed to have been the tomb of one of the original inhabitants’ – the Nabataeans – kings. At the very top of the sculpted building there is an urn which can barely be seen.Also hard to see, several people on the ledge above the arches.
The Urn Tomb, Petra, Jordan
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.”
Aldous Huxley
The image that follows captures Petra’s Obelisk Tomb. One of few multi-story buildings in Petra, the towers in the upper section represent each of the individuals originally buried within.Apparently the structure originally had 5 towers, and there is no knowledge of who or what destroyed the 5th.
Petra’s Obelisk Tomb
“History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Last but not least, today’s final image captures some of the rock-cut tombs of the Street of Facades. Honestly, every moment within Petra allows one to touch ancient history. It is hard to imagine the work that went into the carving of these magnificent structures hundreds of years before the Romans arrived around 106 A.D. UNESCO inscribed the city’s ruins as a World Heritage site in 1985 and the site has grown ever more popular since.
Rock-cut Tombs, Petra, Jordan
“Take away love and our earth is a tomb.”
Robert Browning
There is historic significance to the complex system of canals, pipes and underground cisterns built to harvest and preserve water for a major city deep within in a desert environment. I could go on for days talking about Petra’s many wonders, especially about the feeling of being much further back in time than I could have imagined. That this was a thriving city of nearly 30,000 people as long ago as the 4th century B.C.E. is almost impossible to imagine.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my step back in time to the wonders of Petra – I look forward to seeing your perspectives on history in response to John’s challenge. Be sure to visit his always-interesting posthere, and to link your own responses to it. We offer our thanks to Sofia for last week’s “Lucky Shot” challenge – it was great fun seeing the moments so many of us discovered simply by being aware of our surroundings. Finally, please be sure to visit us next week when Beth leads us once again on her Wandering Dawgs site. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and enjoy the adventure.
To learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
Travels and Trifles 