In a recent conversation with a friend, I was asked where I felt more comfortable, whether on the beach or in the mountains. My answer came out without any hesitation: both. I can enjoy myself on a sunny beach just soaking in the rays just as much as I relish the views in a mountainous area. I believe that might explain why I like the city of Santos in Brazil so much. The Mantiqueira Mountains surround the city, with a beautiful coastline to enjoy.
That conversation with my friend sparked the idea for this week’s challenge. What is your fun destination? What are some fun things you do? Some prefer seeing action and crowds, such as sporting events or concerts. Others prefer quiet moments with a book in hand. Traveling near and far seems to be high on everyone’s list of fun things. No matter what I do for fun, having a camera with me is only part of the fun. What about you? Think about your favorite and more frequent pastimes for fun. I know that the moment I publish this post, I will think of things I did not include here that I should have. So, here are my fun destinations!
A few years ago, we traveled around El Salvador. Besides the lush landscape and friendly people, one of our highlights was ziplining high above a rainforest. For two hours, we flew above the treetops. At this point in the photo, the next station was 920 ft (280 m) away and 410 ft (125 m) above ground. It was exhilarating!
On a beach, there is so much to see and do. Sometimes, I sit around drinking with family and friends or watch braver people kite surfing.
When it comes to crowds, my favorite fun thing is watching people at sporting events. Whether stunts, race cars, a soccer game, or a skate park, I feel at home with a camera to capture the moments.
One of my favorite pastimes is biking–you probably already knew that! I have a road bike and also a mountain bike. While the road bike takes me to various parks, it is on a mountain bike that I spend more time away from crowds. Of course, a camera is always in my backpack when I bike. There are also the fun Bike Nights at the Circuit of the Americas. I love the challenge of that Formula 1 track and the opportunities to capture fun images.
If not on a bike, kayaking is another fun activity for me. I love the tranquility I get while floating on a kayak. Once, it was so quiet that I decided to meditate in the middle of Lake Bastrop.
It is hard to choose what to do when it comes to fun. Of course, being in the great outdoors is my favorite fun destination. Take, for example, the fantastic hike to Angels Landing, Zion NP. You will see what I’m talking about if you click to enlarge the following photos. I have to say, though, that I did not go to the end of that hike. I decided to turn around when we got past the first set of chains. The last 488 feet (148 meters) to Angels Landing goes along a narrow spine of rock on a trail only a few feet wide, with 1,000-foot (305-m) dropoffs on either side. Support chains help increase peace of mind for some, but I felt uncomfortable maneuvering around the chain areas while negotiating my safety with a stranger. The second photo shows how narrow the trail is.
I look forward to seeing your responses and having us all share in the fun. Don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when responding to it so we can easily find it in the Reader. I am glad to say that pingbacks are finally working on my site. Hooray! That means I won’t miss your post if you don’t include a link here.
Last week, Ritva got us to look at common objects. The response was terrific, and your posts were beautiful. Creativity was all around!
Tina will host a new challenge next Saturday at noon EDT in the USA. Stay tuned. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.
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Dawn M. Miller
Wonderful images!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Dawn.
JohnRH
Great photos. A whole lotta’ fun! I love the zoom effect the skateboarder. 👏
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, John. Grabbing the skater image was lots of fun. I was at that park for about 30 minutes trying to do some panning. That particular photo ended up giving me a reason to emphasize his motion.
JohnRH
Moi: https://fairplay740.wordpress.com/2024/09/15/lens-artists-challenge-316-destination-fun/
Wandering Dawgs
Egidio, I enjoyed seeing what you like to do for fun. All of your images are fantastic. Your Zion images are my favorites and I like the bicycling ones, too.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback, Beth. I’m glad you connected with the post and photos.
Keith Devereux
An excellent idea for the Challenge and some lovely images. Certainly got me thinking about how to respond to this one!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the compliment, Keith. I am looking forward to seeing your response.
Anne Sandler
Great challenge and wonderful images to illustrate it. We all need fun in our lives and you’re helping us bring back those fun memories this week.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the support, Anne. Let’s relive those good memories!
Terri Webster Schrandt
Wow, Egidio, we seem to have a lot in common with our leisure activities. Looks like you have amazing destinations for biking and paddling! All of your images are stunning and demonstrate why engaging in leisure is a necessity in our lives. I will join you tomorrow! My color challenge post coincidentally includes several fun destinations. Thanks for hosting!
Egidio Leitao
Terri, I’m glad to read your take on the challenge. I’ll be looking forward to your reply this weekend. Thanks for the feedback.
marina
Lots of “fun” pictures 🙂
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Marina.
Marie
Hey, Egidio. Just wanted you to know that I have been having issues trying to see your posts. First, somehow my setting was switched to pause. But the strangest thing is that when I have liked on your “like” in an old post, it took me to a Brazilian music site instead of this one. Strange. Will do an actual post soon now that I have found your site again. 🙂
Egídio
Hi, Marie. Thanks for the feedback. If you remember what post it was that you experienced the error, I can see if there is anything wrong at my end. It is odd that it took you to a Brazilian music site. I do have one. Thanks for hanging on and for this comment. Feel free to reach me here or via direct email.
Marie
Hey. Part of problem fixed. I resubscribed and now all the links are to this site. Strange though, on the page I can manage the subscription, it says you have 9 followers, which I know isn’t true. LOL
Through Brazilian Eyes
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Egidio Leitao
Marie, that was my old site. Somehow, the subscription you entered was on the old site. I’ve transferred all subscribers to this new site that you saw today’s challenge. I transferred your subscription from the old site to this new site. Sorry for the confusion.
Ana
Wonderful images, hard to pick a favorite. Great post and challege!
Egídio
Ana, that is very kind of you. Thanks for the compliment. I hope you’ll share some of the fun things you enjoy doing or observing.
Leanne Cole
A lot of fun destinations for you Egidio. It looks like you live a very active life. I wish. The photos are great too.
Egídio
Leanne, thanks for writing. I do try to maintain an active life, but sometimes I spend too much time in front of the computer. Thanks again for the compliment.
Lens-Artists Challenge #316 – Jules Coldham
Pingback: […] an awesome challenge. This week Egídio asks us some intriguing questions […]
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Such an active life, wonderful photos of so many lovely moments and activities. Mine is more stable 🙂
Egídio
Ritva, thanks for the feedback and compliment. I try to balance out my time being active and time spent in front of the computer.
Terri Webster Schrandt
As promised, here is mine this week. Once again, I’m happy your theme worked out so well with mine, Egidio.
https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/09/15/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-crushing-on-orange-and-peach/
Egídio
Thanks for the link. I just left a comment in your post.
Tina Schell
Wow Egidio – where do you get your energy?!?!? Loved your post, the images are fantastic and they truly speak to FUN! That’s what I call making the most of life. Beautifully done.
Egídio
Tina, sometimes I don’t know where the energy comes from either. I guess it’s just the feeling of being outside in good weather. Thanks for your compliment.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
Beautiful images and ways of having fun Egidio! I especially love the kayak meditation, it looks so peaceful there. Our contribution for this week’s lovely challenge is here: https://tranature.com/2024/09/15/silent-sunday-simple-pleasures/
Egídio
Xenia, thanks for the compliment and feedback. Kayaking in that lake is often so peaceful. I love it. Thanks for the link, too. I just left a comment in your post.
Albatz Travel Adventures
Wow, you’re so energetic and active. And your photos are also energetic! Your idea of fun is like my brother’s, but for me I will take that beach in Brazil anytime…
Egídio
Elizabeth, many thanks for your kind words. I might see you on the beach in Brazil. It feels like the right time for me, too.
PR
What amazing scenes, Egidio 😀. It feels like a daunting challenge to me..
Egidio Leitao
PR, thank you for the comment. Just using your camera is probably a fun thing to do. Even when I sit on the patio, I have my camera handy. One never knows what might come up. I bet you’ll have some great photos, too. Thanks again.
PR
That’s true..Will try to put together something..
Egidio Leitao
I’d love to see your take/twist on the challenge.
scillagrace
Angel’s Landing will always have a special place in my heart! Thanks for posting your illustrations to jog my memory.
Egidio Leitao
Priscilla, thank you for the comment. I’m glad the photos brought back memories for you.
photobyjohnbo
Amazing scenes, but my favorite is the skateboarder and the “zoomed” background.
I am also impressed with Santos. It’s quite a vertical city.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, John. Santos is very condensed with those high rises and its location. The city can only grow up as it is surrounded by mountains, the sea, and other cities.
Toonsarah
This is literally a ‘fun’ theme! I love your skate park photo and the Angel’s Landing ones, although you won’t find me on a trail like that 😉
I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent, as I so often do: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/gallery-finding-fun-around-the-world/
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah. I loved the way you approached the challenge. I left my comments in your wonderful post.
Vicki
You do so many fun activities and it’s easy to see you’re an adventurous person with heaps of energy. Angels Landing looks challenging to hike around, but your images are superb. I don’t like noise or bright lights so to get out in the country or down the beach would be my solution.
Meditating on the lake sounds heavenly.
I finally found your post in the Reader (which I never use). I didn’t receive an email notification this week from you site. I’d already read other Lens-Artists and deleted them forgetting to keep one for the link to your challenge.
Egidio Leitao
VIcki, thanks for the feedback. I think, like most of us here, if we have our cameras along, it’s half of the fun.
I checked to make sure your email is on the list of subscribers. It is. Hopefully, ,this was another WordPress glitch that won’t happen too often.
ropmann
A great competition. You don’t even know where to start 🙂
You have a great collection of fun destinations!
Egidio Leitao
Roland, thanks for the feedback. I think I can have fun just about anywhere, especially if I have my camera with me.
ropmann
The camera is a good point, you can have fun everywhere where you take good photos!
PS:
It seem that the pingbacks are still not working. I have one in my post, but he didn’t appear here.
Egidio Leitao
Roland, thanks for the feedback about the pingback. WordPress is a mystery in itself. If you scroll up in these comments, you’ll see a pingback from another reader just yesterday. I have noticed that some readers have mentioned me in their blogs, but I don’t see a pingback for that mention. I’m baffled with this inconsistency. I keep using pingbacks in my own posts every week just so I can monitor that. The pingbacks are showing up, but from other readers, it’s hit and miss.
Egidio Leitao
Roland, a quick follow-up from my previous reply yesterday. I just tested putting a pingback in another site and got it here this afternoon. So, I don’t know what is going on with WP. I removed the pingback since it was only a test.
Linda @ Grammy Writes
I love your photos, especially the beach one, and I enjoyed your challenge!
Egidio Leitao
Linda, thank you so much for writing. I hope you’ll consider joining our weekly challenges at any point in time. I appreciated your feedback.
Leya
You do have fun, Egidio! Beautiful images and lovely to be taken along to your favourite fun. Thank you for a marvelous challenge, which I will have great difficulties with…as I love to have fun and have a lot of interests. This will be a looong post…and lots of fun to see what choices will be made by our readers.
Egidio Leitao
Ann-Christine, I try to stay active while I still can. Thank you so much for these kind words about the photos and challenge. I’m looking forward to your post.
Writing to Freedom
What a wonderful post and challenge Egidio. Clearly, you enjoy a variety of activities and places. That is a very interesting tall building in the background at the bike event. Like you, I enjoy nature, hiking, biking, kayaking and more. But I’ve let myself get lazy about making fun a priority and often don’t take photos while out.
Egidio Leitao
Brad, I see that my reply to you yesterday did not get posted. WP is at it again! Thank you for the feedback and praises. I appreciated them. That tower at the bike event is the iconic Circuit of the Americas tower. It offers amazing views of the circuit and even downtown Austin.
Writing to Freedom
You’re most welcome Egidio. I’m not sure I’d like the climb to the top, but I bet the views are great!
Egidio Leitao
Oh yes, I’ve gone up there a two or three times. What is even scarier for some people is that the top floor is mostly glass. So, one can see all the way down to the track, too. However, one can always stay close to the elevator and avoid the glass floor.
Writing to Freedom
Ugh. No thanks on the glass floor!
Stupidity Hole
A nice variety of images here.
Not that it’s important, but what bike are you riding?
Here’s my one for this one:
https://stupidityhole.com/2024/09/17/ladyhawke-strikes-pad/
Egidio Leitao
Thanks so much for your comments and link. The bikes I ride are both Specialized, but I may switch them and get only a gravel bike soon. I’ll comment on your post directly on your blog. Thanks again.
Sofia Alves
You definitely see life through Brazilian Eyes, the energy is palpable and contagious 😀
Great theme, wonderful photos, thank you!
Here is mine:
https://photographias.wordpress.com/2024/09/17/lens-artists-challenge-destination-fun/
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Sofia. I appreciate these remarks and your post, too. I’ll leave my comments there.
JohnRH
FYI I only see ONE pingback in your comments section. I just now subscribed to your site in hopes that it will help, but I doubt it. I subscribe to very few sites as I don’t want any influx of data, posts, etc. I find Lens-Artist posts via pingbacks weekly. In recent months so many sites now require some logon in order to comment. WP has seriously messed something up. We shall overcome, I trust.
Egidio Leitao
John, you are seeing correct. I don’t know why only one pingback is showing. This post had issues from the start — or maybe I should say WP had issues. I had it scheduled for the usual time we post our challenges. Knowing better than to trust WP, I always set myself an alarm five minutes the scheduled time. I waited and waited and the post never went live as scheduled. That had only happened one time before. So, I pushed the publish button about five minutes later. WP continues to annoy with its weekly changes. I stopped getting notified when someone posts a while back. I now simply subscribe to the bloggers I like. I can always find them in my Reader. Thanks for writing.
Egidio Leitao
John, a quick follow-up from my previous reply this morning. I just tested putting a pingback in another site and got it here this afternoon. So, I don’t know what is going on with WP. Since it was a test, I removed it from the comments here.
Kathleen Jennette
What a perfect location for great photos and great big colors! So very beautiful there!
Input on John’s comment: I don’t get but a couple pings for my ICMPC probably because it isn’t for everyone, however, I think it has to do with the Jet Pak on our mobiles. I noticed when I used that most of the time I can’t even read blogs I subscribe to or comment which is frustrating. Since they updated to Jet Pak it hasn’t been the best.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Kathleen. I appreciate all your feedback.
I just made a new post and included a pingback. It worked fine. So, the mystery of pingbacks in WP is frustrating.
Lens-Artists Challenge #316: Destination Fun – P.A. Moed
Pingback: […] that we’re back in Italy, our home away from home, it’s time to address Egidio’s terrific theme. What do I do to have fun? Where do I go? The obvious answer is we travel…but wait, […]
pattimoed
Outstanding post, Egidio! Your images are stunning. I especially love your action shots. Thanks so much for inspiring us this week with a wonderful theme.
Here’s my post: https://pilotfishblog.com/2024/09/18/lens-artists-challenge-316-destination-fun/
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for these wonderful words of support, Patti. I am thankful to you. I’ll leave my comments about your post there.
pattimoed
😊
Fun at the summer toboggan run – Geriatri'x' Fotogallery
Pingback: […] LensArtists Photo Challenge: fun […]
tgeriatrix
Love your images, great fun!
https://geriatrixfotogallerie.wordpress.com/2024/09/18/fun-at-the-summer-toboggan-run/
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for the compliment. I appreciated it. I’ll go check your post right away and comment there.
Lens-Artists #316 – Destination: Fun – Flights of the Soul
Pingback: […] I guess you got the idea what is fun. This post was in response to Egidio’s lens artists challenge. […]
PR
Finally, I could compose my post 🙂. Here it is:
https://flightsofthesoul.wordpress.com/2024/09/18/lens-artists-316-destination-fun/
Egidio Leitao
I just read your post, PR. Thanks so much for that beautiful gallery.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #316 Destination: Fun – nowathome
Pingback: […] Egidio is this week’s host for the Lens-Artists […]