Being alone, lost, forgotten feels like abandonment. Can we project our human feelings onto inanimate things? With a little imagination, we can. How many times have you passed an old rundown house and wondered about the people who lived there? Or passed an old barn on the roadside and let your imagination run wild?

For instance, old farm equipment always has me picturing a farmer riding a tractor through a field or a horse drawn plow left by the wayside when a motorized version came along. They were abandoned for the sake of progress.

When things are of no use anymore, they are carelessly left to fall apart like these two old boats that are beached and never to enter the water again.

Homes, once a place of joy and laughter now sit alone in decay. What games did children play in their yards? How many families occupied the dwellings?

Old vehicles left to decay in covered structures and an old theater that had to be vacated because multiplex cinemas took over.

And our animal shelters are full of animals left by their owners. Or feral like these little kittens abandoned at Knight’s Landing, and who were being fed by a caring individual.

And last our current homeless problem. Have we abandoned their needs for a bed to sleep in?

Your challenge is to tell and show us your thoughts on abandonment. I hope I’ve given you some ideas to get you started. I love old rundown things, especially when they are rusty. But when I got to thinking about what they would say if they could talk, it brought me to a solemn place. Where will it bring you?

I’m looking forward to seeing how you feel about being abandoned. I like people too much to enjoy being alone. When you respond, please link back to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag—anything that helps me find your post!

Last week, thanks to Ann-Christine, we shared the fun of our last outings. I enjoyed seeing the varied places you visited. Next week look for John’s post because he will be leading our challenge.

Until then, stay safe and live in gratitude.

94 thoughts on “LENS ARTISTS CHALLENGE#344: ABANDONED”

  2. This is a creative and interesting challenge Anne. Abandonment stirs up many feelings, personally and collectively. We have a large homeless population here. The old buildings, equipment, and vehicles have many stories to tell. Well done.

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  3. Oh, I LOVE the idea of this challenge. But my family from Spain is arriving imminently, and if I manage it at all – which is fairly doubtful, actually – it’ll be a skimpy offering. You’ve set the scene beautifully.

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  4. I always stop and look at abandoned buildings here, Anne, and they are many. Some are being renovated and given a new lease of life, but many of those in the countryside will fall into rack and ruin. xx

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  6. Ooooo! Interesting, and quite liked a lot already as it is just posted. 👏👏👏 GREAT photos, great theme. I love the detritus of civilization, as it’s always a reminder of our frailty as compared to the rest of Nature. LOVE those photos!

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  8. Anne, Thank you for this wonderful topic. Your beautiful images are great examples. My favorite is the abandoned boat in your header. We pass by many abandoned houses and barns as we travel the back roads in Georgia. I always wonder what happened to the family that used to live there.

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    1. Thanks Leanne! When I started this challenge, I was thinking about non-serious things, but it did turn serious. You just never know where your heart will lead you. I hope you join in with your version of abandoned.

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  23. I think you caught the theme in very many and varied ways quite touchingly. Your words mirror the photos and make us pause to think and consider what for many of us is an unseen world.

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  36. I truly enjoyed your response I. J. Please see the comment on your post. I come from a journalism background so when I see that type of photo opportunity, I take it. I don’t go looking for it. I can write an article about the homeless, but that one picture will have more impact than my words.

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  43. There is beauty in the old abandoned houses and boats and poignancy in the poor guy without a home and the kittens too. And I agree with others – every image tells a story. Great post

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  47. Such a thoughtful and touching prompt. It brings forgotten things to life—old homes, rusted tractors, quiet theaters—all holding stories left untold.
    The theme of abandonment feels real and emotional, opening space to reflect on what’s left behind, not just by time, but by choice. A deeply moving starting point.
    Thank you, AS.
    Hope to join by evening, 6.00 pm IST

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