Obscured By Clouds
by skewsme

Comment:
Wonderful portrayal, real or nudged by imagination, of that instant when the afternoon kisses the evening. So very evocative. The figurative cloud formation on the left brings home that we're not in Kansas. Charmingly grotesque.
Personal second favorite of the challenge.

Welcome to the Machine
by gyaban

Comment:
A chilling vision of a possible future. I guess it'll be ok as long as they keep taxes down.
The dark and gray color scheme and the overwhelming sense of vulnerability are tone perfect. The photography and the fully fleshed out imagination are superb. The shadowy details in the background might easily be given short shrift, but not so here. Actually, we've come to expect no less. Who are the figures overhead, all headed in the same direction? Souls, untethered dreams?
Personal favorite of the challenge.

spring
by Tiberius

Comment:
Beautiful, intimate moment in the forest. I want to say magical and special, but feel that would only detract from its actual, everyday power, its luminous reality. It's the light, it's the muted colors, it's the random bits of nature gathered on the bottom of the pool. Splendidly resonant.
(Visited a spot like this in the woods near home when I was a boy, a park in NYC.)

Exoskeleton
by GolferDDS

Comment:
The translucency of the cast molt, of life itself. Beautifully presented, fine composition and congenial colors. Must admit I prefer circular bokeh, but yours are still fascinating. Thank you for showing this glowing artifact of change.

There Goes the Neighborhood
by GeneralE

Comment:
Pyramids, skyscrapers, palms and a spooky window -- what more can you ask for? Bizarre, mystifying and entrancing. Is it Las Vegas? Life has certainly shifted a few inches for me. Fabulous.

Do penguins wear spectacles?!
by roz

Comment:
Clever, funny, artful and beautifully pulled off. Black and white old-fashioned feel, and I even like the tattered framing. Can't see the entire enclosure, but the penguins don't look to have much joy.
In any case, personal favorite of the challenge.

White
by hajeka

Comment:
One of three personal favorites of the challenge. You have a way with white, especially how you wrangle the grays into play. Also, gotta love the sparkle. Was thinking this is the underside of a mushroom. Quite lovely.

all is calm
by willem

Comment:
One of three personal favorites of the challenge. The modulations of sea, fog, sky and clouds are gorgeous. The pole and bird are perfect punctuation, seemingly, but not at all necessarily, justification for the whole. Wouldn't do poorly in a minimalism challenge.

Nothing is Real
by EstimatedEyes

Comment:
Gave this image an 8. Ethereal, as your title promises.

observations
by PennyStreet

Comment:
Sweet and funny. I hope he finds it.