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Lens-Artists Challenge #419—Landmarks and Monuments

El Arco – Cabo San Lucas, México

Every week, our Lens‑Artists community brings a fresh opportunity to explore the world through photography—sometimes through grand vistas, sometimes through quiet corners that speak to us personally. This week, we focus on Landmarks and Monuments. In my examples, I’m sharing single photos of several places to highlight the variety of options available. But you certainly don’t need a passport to participate! Many communities have local parks, memorials, or buildings that hold as much meaning as global destinations. Whether your post features a tour of multiple subjects or a closer look at a single location from several angles, we invite you to share up to six photos of crafted or natural sites that inspire you to pause and capture a photo. I’m looking forward to seeing the places you choose to feature.

My opening photo shows El Arco, a natural arch shaped by wind and waves over thousands of years. I’d seen it in photographs for many years, yet I didn’t get a chance to see it myself until my first visit to Cabo San Lucas in 2013. After I retired, I vowed to travel, and over the years I returned to Cabo several times. But the first image for the challenge—my first view of this coastal formation—remains my strongest memory. That first encounter became more than a photograph—it became a landmark that sparked my urge to keep exploring.

Montezuma's Castle - Camp Verde, Arizona
Montezuma’s Castle – Camp Verde, Arizona

Since wintering in Arizona, I have photographed many ancient sites, from petroglyphs to pueblos. Montezuma’s Castle is a 700‑year‑old Sinagua cliff dwelling built high into a limestone cliff. The Sinagua were the Indigenous people who lived in central Arizona centuries ago, long before Europeans arrived. The site’s name carries a historical misnomer—early settlers and folklore linked it to the Aztec emperor Montezuma, even though the structure was abandoned decades before he was born and has no actual Aztec origin. Archaeologists later confirmed the truth, but the name stuck, incorrect as it is.

Liberty Bell - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Liberty Bell – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Liberty Bell, a monument to freedom, was on my bucket list. In 2022, I visited Philadelphia to see the heart of the American Revolution for myself, along with the many monuments and historical sites from those fateful days. This symbol of American liberty—its famous crack, its simple form, and its long history as an emblem for abolitionists, suffragists, and civil‑rights advocates—is the most iconic monument to those who fought and died for our freedom among all I’ve seen in Boston, Washington, D.C., or Philadelphia.

Christ the Redeemer - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Christ the Redeemer – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

As powerful as the Liberty Bell is as a symbol of freedom, the next landmark in this challenge speaks to a different kind of aspiration—one rooted in faith, compassion, and the human desire for connection. High above Rio de Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer reaches out with open arms, a monument as iconic to Brazil as the Liberty Bell is to the United States.

Tower Bridge - London, United Kingdom
Tower Bridge – London, United Kingdom

London’s Tower Bridge is one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. Yet, it’s often mistaken for the historic London Bridge of the nursery rhyme and children’s singing game that preceded the current crossing. The original London Bridge—now replaced by a far plainer structure—was dismantled and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, leaving Tower Bridge to inherit the cultural spotlight. Its Victorian Gothic towers, bascules, and unmistakable silhouette make it a fitting representative of London’s architectural legacy, celebrating iconic places shaped by history and imagination.

Les Braves - Normandy, France
Les Braves – Normandy, France

As a history buff, I longed to visit Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. That goal seemed within reach, but a canceled cruise stop due to weather dashed my hopes. In 2024, my perseverance was rewarded. The photograph features Les Braves, a striking stainless‑steel memorial rising from the sand and surf at Omaha Beach—three sculptural forms symbolizing the bravery, resistance, and freedom embodied by the Allied soldiers who landed here on D‑Day, June 6, 1944.

I’ve chosen six images that show how wide this theme can reach. Now it’s your turn. I look forward to seeing your responses—worldwide or local, featuring one site or several. Be sure to link to this post in the comments section and tag your entry with “Lens-Artists” so we can find it.

Tuesday Trek posts feature more complete stories from some of these sites. If you want to read more about any of these sites or people, here are the references:
Montezuma’s Castle
Christ the Redeemer
Tower Bridge
Les Braves

Last week, Tina’s challenge took us down memory lane in so many ways. Next week, Sofia takes the lead. Follow her here so you don’t miss her challenge, which goes live on Saturday, October 31, at noon Eastern Time.

If you’re sharing a Lens‑Artists Challenge response for the first time, welcome—we’d love to visit your post. To participate, publish your take on this week’s theme, link back to this page, and add the Lens‑Artists tag so others can discover your work. You’ll find more details on how the challenge works here.

John Steiner

103 comments

  2. John, these are all great images of very memorable monuments and landmarks. My favorite is the Liberty Bell. Thanks for the challenge.

    Reply

  3. Perfect theme, John, and just in time for me to share a bit about two placed we visited in Europe. You’ve chosen some iconic images! I’ll join you Sunday morning with a scary look at gargoyles and spiderwebs 🙂

    Reply

  5. Oh, John, where to begin… Your images are as impressive as always (particularly “Les Braves”) but as always, your narrative is masterful. I’ve (Cam too) thoroughly enjoyed reading it (twice now). Great post! pp

    Reply

  8. Thank you, John, for this great theme. Your example gallery is inspiring. Although I have not visited these areas, I connect with your images as symbols of meaning that cement those places in history. Wonderful image of Christ The Redeemer and Liverty Bell.

    Reply

  9. I love Montezuma’s Castle. It’s one of the nicest national parks around, small enough to be traversed easily but still beautiful and awesome. We were at Omaha Beach a number of years ago, but obviously before these sculptures were up. It was an emotion-filled visit, as my father-in-law landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, the only survivor of his Higgins boat.

    Reply

  12. Great challenge, John. I am fascinated by the photo of Les Braves. When we were there the tide must have been in because the group was in the water. Like the soldier, from water to land.

    Reply

  13. This will be a great challenge full of beautiful scenery. I liked your photos a lot, and I’ll have to think about what I’ll do. To be continued…

    Reply

  17. Great theme and to limit oneself to six photos is hard. I switched this round and limited myself to one landmark (okay, double landmark) in six views.

    I like the iconic landmarks you picked!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Elke. In July, we did the castle run down the Rhine. I could have included a castle photo in my set… but, oh, that six-photo limit bit me, as well… and I was the one who set the limit. >grin<

      Reply

  19. You’ve certainly demonstrated, as you say, how wide this theme can be! I enjoyed all your varied images and it was fun to see Tower Bridge included 🙂 Incidentally, the London Bridge that was sold and moved to Arizona wasn’t the original one as that really did fall down! That original was lined with shops, rather like Florence’s Ponte Vecchio, and would have been much more interesting than its dull replacement(s).

    I decided to stick with one city for my choice of six landmarks (OK seven, but two are in the same photo!) https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-some-highlights-of-trieste/

    Reply

    • I’d seen photos of the original London Bridge (well, drawings, anyway.) I do have a picture of the current London Bridge, but I could substitute many bridges in America, and you might not realize I edited the photo. Certainly no thought was given to a reconstruction that emulates the bridge they sold to the developer in the U.S.. >grin<

      Reply

  20. […] John’s introduction for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge Theme – Every week, our Lens‑Artists community brings a fresh opportunity to explore the world through photography—sometimes through grand vistas, sometimes through quiet corners that speak to us personally. This week, we focus on Landmarks and Monuments. In my examples, I’m sharing single photos of several places to highlight the variety of options available. But you certainly don’t need a passport to participate! Many communities have local parks, memorials, or buildings that hold as much meaning as global destinations. Whether your post features a tour of multiple subjects or a closer look at a single location from several angles, we invite you to share up to six photos of crafted or natural sites that inspire you to pause and capture a photo. I’m looking forward to seeing the places you choose to feature. […]

    Reply

  44. […] As in more cities around the world, Amsterdam had to decide what architecture should replace demolished old houses. The French have a ‘laissez faire’ approach and are quite bold in it. The Grand Projects of presidents (Centre Pompidou, The Pyramid at the Louvre, Grande Arche) are very modern constructions in an old context. And more cities insert modern architecture in old contexts. Is it a success? Basically it is the eye of the beholder who judges success or failure. Here a photo of old meeting new in the Jordaan, a neighbourhood of Amsterdam. LAPC #419 is ‘landmarks and monuments’. […]

    Reply

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