A while back (July 2021,) Beth of Wandering Dawgs featured a challenge called “Along Back Country Roads.” It reminded me of the Robert Frost Poem, “The Road Not Taken.” As an inveterate traveler, that challenge was easy for me as I spend lots of time on those back country roads, not only in my home state but in my travels as well.
This week’s theme is metaphoric–and not about a physical road. For this week’s challenge, I want you to think of your favorite type or style of photography as the road you’ve chosen to take most often. For me, it’s landscape photography as it fits so well with my traveling soul. My examples are all landscapes, but I want to see in what style you like to photograph best.
For my opening photo, the Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse in A Coruña, Spain. All of these images were recently processed and all but two were processed specifically to feature in this challenge. They were taken on cruise excursions from London to Rome in October 2022.
Before boarding our cruise ship at Southampton, England, we flew into London to tour the city for a couple of days. On one of our evening walks, we dined at a restaurant near a small marina near the Tower of London. I captured this image of the marina with my Samsung S20U phone.
In the province of Cádiz, in Andalusia, Spain, Arcos de la Frontera is located on the top of sheer cliffs that are high above the banks of the Guadalete river and the farmland below. One of my favorite things to do with landscape images is to use Lightroom’s Panorama mode to merge two images together to make an ultrawide view.
From the balcony of our cruise ship cabin, while docked in Lisbon, I captured a panoramic view of the city and again merged the two cell phone pictures in Lightroom.
Our excursion out of Lisbon featured a trip to a winery and, according to the tour description, “majestic views.” Well, as it turned out, the only sunny days on our cruise were after we departed the cruise ship in Rome. Though we didn’t see much rain on the excursions, it was cloudy every day. Probably the lowest clouds we encountered were on our excursion out of Lisbon. It was made worse by the fact that part of the tour was in the highest altitudes encountered on our journeys. This large compound, opened in 1542, is a former convent, now part of Arrábida Natural Park. The resulting views from the high terrain were, I’ll just say something less than majestic.
Rio Mandeo winds through the city of Betanzos, Spain. Our excursion put us on a bus to visit this old town located in a fertile valley relatively close to the cruise port in A Coruña, Spain. If you’ve ever been on a tour bus and tried to capture images through a bus window that is highly tinted, you can do what I did here. The image from my cell phone was almost completely lacking in shades of red and was strong in blue and green. It didn’t look good at all, even when trying to tweak the white and color balance controls in Lightroom. I converted the image to black-and-white and then used the HSL filter to give the image a sepia tone. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. >grin<
One of two landscapes I featured in a previous post, this image of the old bridge is one of my favorites of the trip. There is a very little history of this bridge online, so I couldn’t provide many details in my original Cellpic Sunday post.
Our only stop in France found us on the French Riviera. This beautiful coastline at Saint Tropez was popular with artists and in the 1960s became a mecca for jet setters. Once a thriving fishing village, there are now far more yachts and tour boats than there are commercial fishing vessels.
The wall on the right separates Vatican City from Rome, our last stop on our Mediterranean cruise. The three-arch bridge in the photo was opened in 1911. Named after the King of Italy who reigned from 1861 to 1878, the bridge features four towers, each carrying bonze Winged Victory sculptures. The span is 350 feet (108 m) in length.
I’ve bored you enough with my vacation photos. Now it’s time for you to show us your favorite “road” in photography. Consider a favorite photographic style like low key/high key, monochrome, etc. Maybe a genre of photography like a preference for architecture, still life, portraiture, etc. Whatever your preference, we’d love to see your images captured in your favorite style or genre.
Thanks to Tina for last week’s challenge, Finding Peace, and I will look forward to seeing your posts for this week. My wife and I will be leaving in a few days on another journey, again to regions that don’t always have the best Internet connections. If I don’t respond to your challenge response right away, I will do so when I have a decent Internet connection.
For 2K HD views of my gallery this week, you can click on any image above, or visit my Flickr album here. Next week, Sofia hosts. If you would like to join in on the challenge but aren’t quite sure how to get started, click here for details.
John Steiner
[…] https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/2023/03/11/lens-artists-photo-challenge-240-the-road-most-often-… […]
John I love all these images are from around the world and they are are so amazing .
Here is mine
htthttps://wordpress.com/post/100countrytrek.com/15612
Thank you!
Teresa, just letting you know somehow you’ve made your post private so we cannot get in to comment.
I am trying to figure this out sl. So terrible
I hope you get it worked out, Teresa.
I was just going through everyone’s posts this morning and I also noticed what Tina commented. Your link isn’t working like it was made private or something.
Yes I took away this private link now.
When I go to the link now, it just says “100 Country Trek Coming Soon.
Good morning, John. Here’s my entry for this week. This was a challenge that made me think a lot. I also had a difficult time choosing which photos to feature but that’s not a bad thing. 🙂
janet
I’ve already seen your post. Beautiful nature photography!
[…] a genre of photography like a preference for architecture, still life, portraiture, etc.” Click here to view John’s fabulous photos and style. Hope you’ll join […]
Here is my entry: https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2023/03/13/lens-artists-photo-challenge-240-the-road-most-often-taken/
I already checked out your beautiful landscape shots! Wonderful.
[…] Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #240 – The Road (most often) Taken […]
The pingback didn’t work… I haven’t posted here for a very long time, as my life has been totally changed. I just decided to come back and here is my contribution: Mount Hood Highway Road Trip
https://travelways.com/mount-hood-highway-road-trip/
I’ve heard pingbacks are having issues right now. I did get the notification that you sent the link in my editor though.
Shame about the weather around the Arrabida peninsula, John. I was there last November and we had a mix of sun and showers. You only get one chance on a cruise but you seem to have managed pretty well. I shall be in Rome in May and am so looking forward to seeing the scene you shared.
I’ve taken so many photos when the weather isn’t so great, but that’s all part of the game.
BTW: I really like your wonderful travel photography from European places!
Thank you!
[…] Shot at lunchtime today for the lens artists challenge of the road most taken […]
[…] this week, the Lens-Artist challenge is “The Road (Most Often) Taken,” where John asks us to reflect on the style of photography that I have chosen to take most […]
[…] Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #240: The Road (most often) Taken […]
[…] This week’s Lens Artists Photo Challenge 240 is hosted by John Steiner. He invites to show my favorite type or style of photography as the road I have chosen to take most often. And – I teased a lilttle bit here – that creates a bit of a problem for me. I might need direction. […]
[…] Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: The Road Most Often Taken […]
[…] challenge this week centers around a metaphor: the road most taken on your photographic journey represents your […]
[…] Lens-Artists: The Road Most Often Taken […]
This is my path often taken: https://outofmywritemind.com/2023/03/14/stroll-in-the-public-garden/
A beautiful garden, for sure, Sandy!
Beautiful each season.
[…] John Steiner […]
Here is mine for the week
[…] John is leading this week’s topic. The idea is that we are to share photos in our favorite style or type of photography. I lean mostly to all things nature and beach. I also love macro photography. […]
The Betanzo bridge has great architecture, John, but your capture of its reflections really made it a special picture. 🙂
Thank you. The photo is one that will bring me memories forever.
[…] Lens-Artist Photo Challenge John:…The-Road-Most-Often-Taken […]
[…] Lens artists photo challenge […]
[…] Johnbo is the host of the Lens-Artists challenge this week and he has chosen the theme, “The Road (most often) Taken”. https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/2023/03/11/lens-artists-photo-challenge-240-the-road-most-often-… […]
Wonderful photos from your travels, John. Here’s a link to my submission https://musinwithsusan.com/2023/03/15/lens-artists-240-a-favorite-genre/
I love your cool photos, Susan. I left a comment, but not sure it registered.
[…] This is my submission into the two hundred-and-thirty-fortieth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “The Road (most often) Taken“. […]
Some rather nice shots here. Simple and scenic, with a nice consideration for space, I think.
Here’s mine for this one:
Thanks!
[…] week, John’s Lens-Artists challenge is metaphorical — “your favorite type or style of photography as the road you’ve chosen to […]
[…] This post is part of John S’s LAPC #240 The Road most often taken […]
My contribution
https://philosophyvia.photos/2023/03/16/all-roads-lead-to-rome/
Love your macros, Mr. Philo!
Thank you John.
[…] Many thanks to for John for his challenge Lens-Artists Challenge #240 – The Road (most often) Taken […]
[…] https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/2023/03/11/lens-artists-photo-challenge-240-the-road-most-often-… […]
Hi John. I’ve had fun taking a little side-route on my road most often taken! Great topic and helpful examples.
Wonderful bird images, Lindy!
[…] I didn’t think phone photography was too bad after all. But for my next travel, would I be game on doing it again? For Johnbo’s Lens Artist Photo Challenge […]
Sorry for the late response as things have been quite hectic since I came back from overseas.
Here is my entry for a great challenge:
https://mywanderings.travel.blog/2023/03/17/the-road-i-was-forced-to-take/
[…] road most taken in my photographic ouvre is more of a zig-zag over land and sand towards […]
Here is my take on this challenge: https://chava61.wordpress.com/2023/03/17/lens-artists-photo-challenge-240-the-road-most-often-taken/
[…] of Journeys With Johnbo chose this week’s Lens-Artists Photography Challenge, “The Road Most Traveled”. […]
[…] Lens-Artist Photo Challenge this week is “The Road Most Often Taken,” in other words John is asking us about our favorite subject to photograph. I have a hard […]
[…] I would like to show my favorite “road” in photography. John is leading the challenge this week and he suggests we consider a favorite photographic style like low key/high key, monochrome, etc. Maybe a genre of photography like a preference for architecture, still life, portraiture, etc. […]