The Bay Bridge
by GolferDDS

Comment:
Wonderful portrayal of this bridge. The sense of distance of the span is only enhanced by the narrow format. The colors, black, blue and gray, are sturdy and powerful. The delicate staccato of sky between the lacy ironwork is playfully echoed by the glittering water of the bay. Good stuff.

Barrier
by Cuttooth

Comment:
Such an interesting image. The apparent verticality is actually a forward reach. The blocks of shapes in muted palette are straightforward and daring. It makes you work and then rewards as you put it back together and smile. Terrific and unusual use of the format.

As the day breaks
by Neat

Comment:
Lovely study. Beautiful light and silhouettes. I loves how the perspective offers a coy glimpse of the water. A quiet, perfect moment.

... and the color of night is blue
by Ken

Comment:
Deep blue verging into purple, gets me every time. That's a lovely background for the connected line of poles that diminishes slightly in height in reaching the lighthouse. The repetition is mesmerizing, then a sparkling reward at the end, an exclamation point! Appealing.
Personal second favorite of the challenge.

Up Dale
by SaraR

Comment:
Charming, bucolic scene. Even deeper than it is wide. When fog fills the valley like this enchantment visits the world. Time stops and you marvel at the benevolence of life. Reminiscent of Chinese scrolls. Beautifully handled delicate tones. Nicely framed by the foreground trees. Fine title. It's a privilege to be here. Thank you.

I opened two gifts this morning. They were my eyes
by pgirish007

Comment:
Lovely panorama of Manhattan, yet much more. The overall amber/golden tone implies, to me, ambivalence. The city is both dark and golden, shot through with shadows and insistent sunlight. The inflowing blue sky, as always, offers promise and redemption. I like the Freedom Tower's head in the clouds, and the glittering Hudson River. A deeper, layered view of the city.
Great title.

The Yard
by Yo_Spiff

Comment:
That plaintive yet delicious feeling close upon nightfall. This lovely image brings on a cascade of remembered sensations, sweet and hopefully to be revisited in our future days. The trains are solidly present and stretch on around the curves, especially the black-purple one in the foreground. The sunset colors give grandeur to the entire yard. Just in case it doesn't live on in my memory, I'm plunking it into my favorites.

Coming Around The Bend
by grahamgator

Comment:
This image is so expansive my eyeballs are going in different directions at once. It's like a deep breath. It's airy, like a watercolor. The left and right fifths are less interesting than the center, but their inclusion is what gives breadth. A seven course feast. Really nice.

Downhill
by Paul

Comment:
This is terrific. So minimal yet exciting, fun and mischievous. I think many, if not most, of us would thrill to a downhill dash. I admire how eloquent the lines are. I like how the man is placed, and how one's imagination can infer the upper and lower expanses. Perfect in black and white.

The Lake
by bbright

Comment:
Half-open eyes, am I still dreaming? It's that moment of doubt that's so appealing here. The mid-line at 120 adds to the unreality, as do the protruding rocks in the lake echoing the mountains. And then there's the pseudo-dynamism of the rocks as a pod of dolphins, with an attendant whale and other beasts. Beautiful subtle range of tones and detail, befitting a superior black and white. "The Lake" Here's proof that a simple, straight-forward title often affords greater resonance than one more prolonged.
Personal favorite of the challenge.