Posted on by Anne Sandler · 35 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #391: Phone Photography

Yet another confession! I don’t use my cell phone for photography!! In fact, I remember telling the salesman when I bought my iPhone 16e that I didn’t need anything fancier because I use my camera for photography. So Tina’s challenge is truly a challenge for me. Luckily, I did use my phone a couple of times during our Panama Canal trip.

First in Acapulco. The bus movement and windows were a bit much for the camera.

The next time I used it was in Costa Rica on a jumpy, and sometimes wet, jungle wagon tour.

And finally during a tour of the Huston Space Center including the actual control center for the Apollo missions. The cell phone was perfect for this.

So that’s it for my phone photography. I’m actually happy with the photos my one-lens phone took. Maybe I’ll use it more often–maybe!

Thanks Tina for the gentle push to explore phone photography. I’ll probably use my cell phone more now. When you respond please remember to link to Tina’s post and use the Len’s Artist tag. Next week Patti will be leading the challenge, so be sure to look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 43 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #388: Your Journey in 5 – 10 Images

I didn’t hesitate when Sandy called and asked if I wanted to go on a cruise through the Panama Canal. YES! That trip has been on my bucket list just waiting to be fulfilled. I wasn’t thrilled to be on a ship for 16 days, but if that’s what it took. And, better, Richard, my husband, came with me. Ann-Christine’s challenge was perfect timing for me.

What a fun trip that ended up being. Traveling in October, it was mostly a senior tour. Leaving from San Francisco, California and ending in Galveston, Texas; we were mostly Californians and Texans. We enjoyed each other’s company–no State conflicts!

I was also concerned about the ship being a Carnival ship, but that was great too. The ship’s interior was beautiful, the food great and the entertainment awesome. The most photogenic part were the elevators.

Now for the reason I went on this trip–the Panama Canal! We went through the old locks. The new locks are reserved for larger ships. The last picture shows our ship entering the lake mid-way through the canal.

The Lake

Entering the Atlantic Ocean was a mirror image of exiting the Pacific Ocean. I went to the cabin to rest and watch the rest on the television.

It was an amazing experience. We did visit other ports in other countries, but with a limited number of pictures as directed by Ann-Christine, those will have to wait.

We also took the opportunity to visit the Huston Space Center before we came home. My homecoming is another story to be told next week as I lead the challenge. Stay tuned!

Thanks Ann-Christine for pushing me to process my canal transit images. Be sure to link to her post when you respond and use the lens artist tag. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 34 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #378: Last Chance

When I look back at my photographic experiences in 2025, I can’t get too excited. Except for my Panama Canal Cruise (which I haven’t been able to process yet), it was a repeat of places we had been before. So, I just picked a few that I liked. I’m sure I posted pictures of the outings from which these were taken, but these were not edited or posted.

Let’s start with the one image I processed of the Panama Canal. This is of the lock just before entering the lake.

Next are pictures of birds. It’s difficult for me to get pictures of Sandhill Cranes because I don’t have a super long lens. I got lucky with this one being closer to the road. The next image is my first of a pheasant. Too bad it was a super foggy day.

You know I enjoy photographing flowers.

I love trees. They are so expressive.

My back is telling me to end this post, and I must listen. Thank you Beth for encouraging us to spread our wings last week. Have a wonderful holiday and happy New Year. I’ll see you in 2026! In the meantime stay safe and live in gratitude.

I’m plagiarizing Patti because she said it so well:

Who are the Lens-Artists? Subscribe to our blogs to get our latest challenges.

1. Tina of https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com 2. Patti of https://pilotfishblog.com 3. Ann-Christine of https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com 4. John of https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com 5. Sofia of https://photographias.wordpress.com 6. Anne of https://annegeephoto.com 7. Egidio of https://egidio.photography/ 8. Ritva of https://sillarit.com/ 9. Beth of https://wanderingdawgs.com/ To find out more about the Lens-Artists Challenges, click here.