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Lens-Artists Challenge #263 – Faces in a Crowd

Sail Away Party

In another place, another town
You were just a face in the crowd
You were just a face in the crowd
Out in the street, walking around
A face in the crowd
– Tom Petty

That 1990 Tom Petty song only made it to number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but those lyrics are a perfect introduction to my challenge to show off your camera skills when it comes to faces, human or otherwise. While this challenge seems to be tailor-made for portrait or street photography, I will show you examples in other categories. My opening photo features the sail away party, a popular activity on the first day of an ocean cruise. Your personal choices might include examples from nature photography, pets, street photography, headshots, portraiture, fashion, sports, or wedding photography. If I missed a category and you have an example, I look forward to seeing it!

Marmoset at Natuwa.

This marmoset lives among others in a large cage for his own welfare. He was captured and lived as a pet for years and when his owner got tired of him or died this “pet” was relegated to a “prison” where he could be cared for and live with others of his kind at Natuwa, a wildlife rescue facility in Costa Rica. I was struck by the forlorn look on his face and those expressive eyes. Natuwa is filled with examples of animals that didn’t deserve to be captured for the enjoyment of humans.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Honor Guard.

At Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, an honor guard serves in perpetuity to guard the Tomb of the Unknowns. Persons and groups are invited to honor U.S. veterans and members of the armed forces by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Public wreath ceremonies are limited to one per group per day, with a maximum of four participants in the ceremony. The wreath for the ceremony is provided by the participants. On the day of my visit, a unit of the Ohio Wing Civil Air Patrol was selected to participate in the Wreath Laying Ceremony. The person in the foreground is a member of the honor guard. The others are members of the Ohio Wing. They are descending the steps to begin the ceremony.

Mariachi Band.

In Mazatlan, Mexico it is not uncommon to find mariachi bands at almost any public gathering. The singer of this particular song was so expressive and it was easy to see that he was lost in the music. I captured several photos and picked my favorite image of the group to convert to black-and-white.

Native American PowWow.

In 2016, I attended a Native American PowWow in Bismarck, North Dakota. The annual event, held this year from September 8 through 10, is always the second weekend in September. From the United Tribes About page here, “The word powwow is a noun an Eastern Algonquian language used to describe a gathering of Native people; however, in Indian Country, the event is defined as a cultural celebration that features group singing and dancing by men, women, and children.”

A young Native American.

I haven’t attended many PowWows over the years, but when I do, I always find interesting and colorful costumes and people proud of their heritage. I asked this young man if he minded my taking a photo of the feather sculpted in his hair and he was happy to pose for me.

Renaissance Faire.

I always find elaborate costumes and interesting faces at the fairs. When this maiden isn’t performing on stage, she often sits in a tree near the stage and blows soap bubbles for the kids. No doubt, she loves entertaining at the fair.

I was hoping to feature some new images of a Renaissance Faire for this post. Unfortunately, this weekend, the weather isn’t the best with muddy grounds from heavy rains yesterday and a 95 percent chance of rain for tomorrow, we opted to wait until next week’s performance. This challenge will be auto-published while we are at the fairgrounds (I hope.)

L-R: Janet, Donna, Marsha

In March 2022, Lynn and I were invited to join a group of bloggers who happened to be meeting for breakfast in Scottsdale, Arizona. Marsha (right) of the Always Write blog organized the event. Janet (left) of This, That and the Other Thing blog, and Donna (center), my colleague on the Lens-Artists team and host of the Wind Kisses blog posed for the photo.

The Blue Person Group.
Front L-R: Janet, Donna, Marsha, Lynn. Back: Some photobomber… er, ah, I guess that’s me!

My favorite coincidence of this meetup is that all of us, Lynn and I included, happened to wear blue. The memo must have been sent telepathically, and no one admits to initiating a group color request. To view any of these images in 2K HD, you can view them on my Flickr site here.

Your challenge this week is to share images featuring faces, in a crowd or standing alone, human or animal. Selfies are approved. I am looking forward to seeing your take on “Faces in the Crowd”. Don’t forget to link to this post and be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists to reach the widest audience.

Thanks to Amy for her challenge last week, “Frame your Photos.” Next week, Sofia leads with her challenge. If you’d like to participate but aren’t sure how to get started, click here.

John Steiner

122 comments

  2. Great variety of people!!!
    I loved the Blue Person group, I’m glad to put a face to some members of Lens-artists.
    I’ll see what I can do for the challenge, I don’t usually photograph people, I’ll find something…

    Reply

  3. Your images are wonderful, Brian! The man with the feather is so good, the faces on the ship are so different and makes me wonder what they were thinking!

    Reply

  9. Wow, John this is perfect for this week as my theme is celebrations! I will join you on Sunday. I love the sweet face of the marmoset along with the beautiful ladies (and you) in blue, all whom I’ve also met! Thank you for the extra inspiration.

    Reply

  14. Terrific challenge this week John – should gather lots of responses. Especially loved the little marmoset as well as the two Native American images and of course our blogging buddies!!

    Reply

  23. A tough topic this week, John. Although I like the see street photography every now and then, it’s not my kind of photography. I’d love to visit a powwow and learn more about the people and their traditions. Initially, I assumed, I’d skip this week or jump in the wildlife area. But, overnight, for some reason, I was able to find a proper solution. I hope you like it 🙂

    Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #263: Faces in a crowd

    Reply

      • I’ve just added one more picture, from way back in 2005 which is probably the only close-up I have of people I don’t know 😀.

      • It turned out really nice. One thing I’ve done when I want to take photos of people dressed up in finery and I don’t know them is to ask in advance and then offer to email them the photo at no charge. I tell them that their photo may end up in social media. I’ve never had a decline. Sometimes I struggle to find something to write down their email address. Reminder to me to add a small notebook and pencil to my kit. 🙂

      • Why a notebook and pen? Smartphone is smart enough to note anything and normally we are taking impromptu pictures with that or even when not, then also we are hardly ever without the phone😀

  31. An interesting theme John.

    In another place, another town
    You were just a face in the crowd
    You were just a face in the crowd
    Out in the street, walking around
    A face in the crowd
    – Tom Petty
    How true it is!
    Our face is sure to be captured by some unknown person at some time, in some place and we remain unknown to this photographer!
    And our face is just a face in the crowd!
    Love your fab examples.
    The boy with feather hair cut, my fav.
    Love the blogger union clicks.
    I feel sad for this monkey’s expression.
    Thanks for the Natives history.

    Reply

  38. What a great challenge topic. The faces that stand out from our traveling experiences. Great collection. These are what make places memorable.

    Reply

  39. It’s wonderful to see all those faces and perspectives (will never forget the marmoset). I almost never take photos of faces, though it’s all I did while my children were little and didn’t mind! Am going to have to thibnk about this one!

    Reply

  40. I love the Tom Petty song, your images, and the challenge, John. Wonderful–on all accounts! The first image really captures the moment, doesn’t it? I can just imagine the excitement when you set sail. But the marmoset is also intriguing, and of course I love seeing the group photo of your wife and fellow bloggers. Here’s my take on the challenge:

    LAPC #263: Faces in the Crowd

    Reply

  41. Hi John, thank you for hosting this week’s challenge. When I first read the category, I kind of panicked because I rarely do any street photography. Then I read your post and was inspired to go with the flow of the idea and see what rolled out onto my post page. I love the variety of photos you chose to share. I’m especially drawn to the photos of you and fellow bloggers. 🥰😍🤩 Again, thanks for hosting and inspiring us with this challenge!

    Reply

  43. A great theme, John. Sail Away Party is a lot of fun. The Unknown Soldier Honor Guard is a great choice. So glad you include the Native American PowWow and the Renaissance Faire image is really cool. Lovely photos of The Blue Person Group! 🙂 🙂

    Reply

  45. […] I love to people watch. I don’t think I am nosy, and I am not a creepy stalker. I just enjoy watching people in their element, or in their daily lives. Do you? I think observation teaches us and enlightens us culturally, even in our own countries. Taking photos of those observations takes me a little out of my comfort zone, and this week, John of Journeys with Johnbo challenges us with exactly that: Faces in a Crowd. […]

    Reply

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