photobyjohnbo

Lens-Artists Challenge #281 – Favorite Images of 2023

Arrival in New York City.

The Lens-Artists Team is back from our December hiatus with our favorite image shares of 2023. This week, there is no one single host to the challenge. The entire team will be sharing the challenge topic today. You can link to any or all of our team posts.

I am looking forward to another year of challenges and responses from all of the participants in this year’s challenges. I have a few “ringers” in my selection, but I have a justification for inclusion. For example, the opening photo was captured in September 2022, but I didn’t select it for processing and publication until a year later. It finally found its way to a Cellpic Sunday in October 2023. I’m not sure why I didn’t select it sooner. It turned out well if I say so myself.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

Another image from New York captured in 2022 and not published until October 2023 is this black-and-white photo of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. DxO’s Silver Efex helped to make this photo one of my favorite images.

Scarlet Macaw at Natuwa
Portrait of a scarlet macaw.

The portrait of the macaw was captured many years ago, but in 2023, I was looking for animal portraits to experiment with a processing technique I discovered in a YouTube video. Basically, it involved bringing out the subject by darkening the background. Of the half-dozen or so images I modified, this one was my favorite.

Ipanema Beach
Ipanema Beach.

In early 2023, we set sail on a transatlantic cruise, but rather than set sail from New York or from Florida, the usual departure points in the United States, we found a cruise that departed from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We arrived in Rio early so that we could see some of the many points of interest we’d only seen in travelogs and photographs. Probably my favorite image of Rio is this shot of Ipanema Beach at sunset. It wasn’t my finest image of the collection, but it was a destination I’d often thought I wanted to visit.

Sunken Gardens-1
Sunken Gardens.

In August 2023, we visited the Sunken Gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska. These beautiful gardens are built on a former dump site. The image above is actually a two-image vertical panorama to allow me to get close for maximum detail and still feature the plants at the base of the display.

Cottage Garden-1
Cottage in McCrory Gardens.

Another garden we visited in 2023 is in Brookings, South Dakota. This cottage is a centerpiece of the Cottage Garden, one of several in the McCrory Gardens. The old building is a former gas station building moved to Brookings from Lake Preston, South Dakota.

Sunset at Sea
Sunset at Sea.

I always enjoy sharing ocean views from a cruise ship, and doubly so when they include a sunrise or sunset. Captured on our Atlantic Crossing in early 2023, I used this image in a previous photo challenge to focus on empty space. Having just set, the sun isn’t even visible and beside a small band of clouds, a freighter in the distance is the only subject.

I am happy to be back for 2024’s Lens-Artists Challenges and I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s favorite images from 2023. For pixel peeping and photo metadata, you can check out this collection in 2K HD on my Flickr site here.

As we enter the New Year, we are excited to announce the Lens-Artists team will be expanding with the addition of two new members. Ritva of Ritva Silanmaki Photography and Egidio of Through Brazilian Eyes will be joining us. We know they will bring their marvelous photography, extensive travel experiences, and fresh insight to our weekly challenges. We are very much looking forward to having them on our team. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to them. Click on the links to Ritva and Egidio’s blogs at the end of today’s post to follow them and receive all of our upcoming Lens Artists challenges. 

Tina of https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com

Patti of https://pilotfishblog.com

Ann-Christine aka Leya of https://lagottocattleya.com 

John of https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com

Anne of https://annegeephoto.com (aka Slow Shutter Speed)

Sofia of https://photographias.wordpress.com 

Donna of https://windkisses.com 

Egidio of https://egidio.photography (aka Through Brazilian Eyes)

Ritva of https://sillarit.com (aka Ritva Sillanmaki Photography)

John Steiner

83 comments

  1. Great choices John, even though you cheated a bit. I’m glad you included your “taken in 2022 but processed and posted in 2023” images. They were stunning. Happy New Year!

    Reply

  2. Great pictures! I have more or less the same photo of Ipanema, this sunset over Morro Dois Irmãos is so striking. I also love the moment when the people on the beach applaud the sun’s departure every evening.

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  5. A great selection John! I love the opening shot of New York and like you am surprised it took you so long to process and share it 😀 Thanks for the idea of stitching together a vertical panorama. That’s not something I’ve tried and it seems to be very effective.

    Are you hosting this theme? It’s not clear from your post that you are, but I don’t see a link to anyone else as host.

    Reply

  7. Always a pleasure to see what you come up with John. Great images to narrow your favorites. I remember the macaw! Still love it today. You had a great year to share with us! And canna lilies are one of my favorite flowers so I am glad you included them.. On an old dump site? WE SO need more of that ! Happy New Year.

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  14. Seriously! Did all the L-A hosts post at the same time??? I can barely deal with all of them at once. 🙂 I liked that your photos take us all over the US and throughout much of the world. Thanks for including something from my home state of Nebraska, something I’ve rarely seen. Looking forward to seeing you both again in the not-to-distant-future?

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  19. John, you can totally sell prints of that Ipanema beach shot.

    Can’t wait for more of your work for this year! I have a feeling it will best be spent for all of us traveling and taking stock of the beauty in our lives and world.

    – Archer

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  25. I love the Macaw…even if you cheated a bit there! The New York opener is a stunner, John. The ending sunset really makes me think of your faiblesse for cruises – well chosen!

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  32. I love how you explain your processes for editing your images, John! You’ve chosen a wonderful selection to share. Love the macaw image–so rich in color and texture! Looking forward to more in ’24!

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    • Thanks, Terri! There is so little work (compared to years ago) in editing digital photos, and my tweaks are minimal as a result. The macaw is one of the more complicated edits I’ve done in a long time.

      Reply

  39. John, I really enjoyed seeing all your great pictures and reading about them. My favorite though is your first one of the NY City skyline, so sharp and beautiful colors!

    Reply

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