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Lens-Artists Challenge #365 – Longing

“He always thought of the sea as ‘la mar’… as something that gave or withheld great favours.”
— Ernest Hemingway

This week, Egidio presented a challenge that really made me think. In his challenge, he writes, “The Portuguese language has a wonderful word that always seems complicated to translate accurately into English. The word is saudade… Wikipedia defines saudade as an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet absent someone or something…” You can find his entire challenge post here.

I thought about the concept of longing, so intangible, yet it rolls in like the tide. It’s a feeling that never quite arrives, and is never fully gone. My opening photo is from an experiment in applying the Adamski Effect to my photos. I chose this photo of a man walking toward the ocean on a cold morning as the opener to my response. Of my images for this challenge, it is the one that most visually relates to the concept of longing to return to the sea. In recent years, we’ve found ourselves on the ocean twice annually. In a few weeks, Lynn and I will again be on a cruise, enjoying the salt air and the gentle (sometimes strident) motion of the ocean beneath our ship.

Sunrise-1 Atlantic Ocean - Emerald Isle at dawn
“The voice of the sea is seductive… inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude.”
— Kate Chopin

A few years earlier, we woke early to see the sunrise on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The sea was not in the mood to awaken so early… or maybe that was me. It was a cold October morning, but as a photographer, I knew that the best shots would be taken early in the morning.

Pacific Ocean Moonlight
“My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

After a day in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, the lights of the coastline faded into the mist, and the moon shone through the clouds, its light reflecting off the Pacific Ocean. My Samsung S23U cellphone captured the moment.

Peggy's Cove
“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea… we are going back from whence we came.”
— John F. Kennedy

Peggy’s Cove is a harbor where fishing is a way of life. The bay was discovered on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the 1600s. The picturesque village is a popular excursion for cruise ship passengers visiting Halifax.

Canal Transit-5
“The sea teaches in silence—its lessons written in light, its longing carried on the tide.”
 — Pablo Neruda

We’ve sailed through the Panama Canal three times, and each passage felt like more than a crossing. The locks lifted us between oceans, and also between moods: curiosity, awe, and a quiet pull toward the open sea. It’s a passage that reminds me why I keep coming back.

Tree at Kealia Beach-1
“Today I go back to the sea—
And it’s just as though I were home.”
— Langston Hughes

Bent by wind and time, this tree has become a kind of marker for us—a living witness to return. I first photographed it in 2013, drawn to its resilience and shape. My daughter and her family stood beside it in 2019, and now, in 2025, it still holds its place near the sea. In a post about longing, it feels right to end here: with something rooted, weathered, and still reaching.

Thanks to Egidio for prompting me to consider how my photographs might convey a story about longing. I enjoyed searching for quotes that reflect both longing and my love for the sea. Last week, Ritva hosted the challenge dedicated to quiet moments. Many of the photos I shared here could also be considered reflective of quiet moments. Next week, Tina hosts. Be sure to follow her here so you don’t miss her post, which goes live on Saturday at noon Eastern Time. If you’d like to get started creating your own challenge responses, check here for details.

John Steiner

34 comments

  2. John, I understand your longing to return to the ocean each year. I feel your love of the sea in your beautiful images. I love them all but the fishing boats in Peggy’s Cove is my favorite.

    Reply

  3. What an interesting approach to the theme, and so well illustrated with photos and quotes (though I was expecting to see John Masefield among the latter, ‘I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,’) Your opening shot sums up the mood perfectly and I also love the sunrise on the Outer Banks and that twisted tree at the end.

    Reply

    • Interesting that my searches for quotes didn’t reference this one. Since you gave me the hint, I searched and found the poem.
      ” must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
      And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by…”

      Reply

  5. Beautiful photographs John – the pull of the sea is so powerful and shines through all your images 😊

    Reply

  10. Such quiet moments on top of those feelings of longing.

    I think the ocean pulls many of us back to experience it – again and again. No matter where we live or roam, the sea brings us longing and hope for experiencing it’s magic.

    Reply

  12. Your photo of a man walking toward the ocean on a cold morning is a powerful visual representation of saudade, evoking a sense of yearning and introspection. The Adamski Effect application adds an interesting layer to the image. The ocean seems to be a potent symbol for this feeling of longing – vast, unpredictable, and eternally captivating and connection to the sea, visiting it twice a year with Lynn, suggests the ocean holds a special place in your heart.

    Reply

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