Oct 21, 2015 / Roundups

Photos We Loved: Happy Place

Our favorite photos depicting things, animals, and places that make you happy.

Photo by Anna Moskalkova

In the Happy Place photo challenge, I asked you to share an image of a person, place, or thing that gives you energy, restores your verve, and puts a smile on your face. Over 700 entries made for difficult decision making and I loved poring over your responses. Here’s a small sample of the photos that resonated with me.

Andy Townend

Andy‘s wooden spoons made me grin. I look at these spoons and I think of the joy I get out of cooking and the pleasure of a meal shared with friends and family. Be sure to check out Andy’s site for more great photos.

Photo by Andy Townend

Photo by Andy Townend

Photographic Trek

As a fisherperson wannabe, I was unable to resist eldy’s photo of this fishing boat gently calling to me on the shore of Boomerang Lake in British Columbia, Canada. The motionless water and ethereal lighting has a calm, soothing effect. A regular participant in the weekly photo challenge, be sure to check out eldy’s site for more.

Photo by eldy

Photo by eldy

All Seeing Me

Photographer Denis O’Donovan captured the beautiful arcs of Pat O’Toole’s fishing line during double-handed casting practice on a river in Ireland. The line’s path — frozen in time in and space — moved me. Be sure to check out Denis’ site for more.

Photo by Denis O'Donovan

Photo by Denis O’Donovan

FOTOCREA

Anna Moskalkova puts an arresting, surreal twist on the Happy Place theme in her photo essay, “Searching For My Childhood” at FOTOCREA. The washed-out lighting makes me think of my own hazy memories of childhood. Be sure to check out more of her work.

Photo by Anna Moskalkova

Photo by Anna Moskalkova

HISTOIRES À TIROIRS

I loved Frédéric Biver‘s mid-air shot of a carousel swing rider in black and white at HISTOIRES À TIROIRS. The outstretched arm of the carousel rider reminds me of a care-free afternoon spent at the fair. Visit Frédéric’s site for more.

Photo by Frédéric Biver

Photo by Frédéric Biver

Our photo challenge themes change each week, though each remains open indefinitely so there’s always plenty of inspiration for your photographic creativity. Why not check out a challenge you might have missed?

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    1. You comment is perfectly fine on our Community Pool feature, where readers are welcome to post links to their blogs and invite others to visit and comment. Here and anywhere else it’s off-topic and spammy. Any future comments like this will be deleted.

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  9. they’re all lovely but as I’m time-challenged, I just visited the FOTOCREA for the moment and skimmed through mesmerizing pics and texts. Will make a point of visiting the others asap

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  22. What a great challenge, & what spectacular images!! Every single one really *did* make me happy… And those carefree silhouettes on the swings … Pure magic!! ❤

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    1. It took a few hours to check out all the entries. Many of the photographs were similar — of landscapes, of seasides. For this roundup, I’m looking for photos that stand out from the crowd, that were extraordinary in some way. My shortlist was about 15 entries, and from that, I selected the five you see here.

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