isolated
by lobrin

Comment:
I leave the safety of the curb
to venture across the street.
It is as in life,
there are those who choose
to stand apart from the crowd.

Great eye to spot this symbolic moment. Isolated - there are two perceptions that can be read here. Is she isolated because the crowd has banished/excluded? Or is she a risk taker? Is she one who has chosen to stand apart from the crowd to achieve success by venturing to the other side of the road?

Winter's Blanket
by njsabs

Comment:
Winter's chill doth sing me to sleep.
The Frost Queen no longer has cause to weep.
Her snowflake quilt enfolds me with a gentile sweep,
for I am the child she has chosen to keep.

The blue-white tones really help invoke the cold chill of the scene. The girl looks peaceful as if she is sleeping in the comfort of her bed...dreaming. Perhaps...perhaps that is because she is the chosen child of the barren Winter Queen.

The Stilt Fishermen of Kathaluwa
by jagar

Comment:
Perched on high above the ocean waves,
early morning chill these men brave.
Time and tide marks the hours.
They patiently fish from their wooden towers.

This is an absolutely wonderful capture of a slice of life of another culture!!! I love the fishing action of these men that range from sitting, casting the rod, and standing. Wonderful details and the B&W is excellently done; tones are very dynamic. Photo is akin to something I could see in National Geographic magazine...I just love learning new things and seeing new places.

The Dream
by HalldorIngi

Comment:
With the growl of his tummy, Joey awoke in the middle of the night. He had refused to eat the beef stroganoff and was sent to bed without supper. "Cookies," he smiled, grabbed his blanket, Teddy, and quietly crept out of bed and down the stairs. But something was odd as he wiggled his toes. Joey looked down and realized he was floating! His feet were not touching the stairs!
Joey awoke with a start. He sat up in bed. "Woah, it was just a dream," as he shook the cobwebs out of his head. His tummy grumbled. "Cookies," he smiled, grabbed his blanket, Teddy and quietly floated out of bed and down the stairs.

This is the type of photo that makes you do a double take. The scene is fairly common...until you notice something quite odd and take a closer look:-) He is not creeping quietly down the stairs, he's floating!!!! It is then, when the audience realizes that 'everyday' becomes something extraordinary in a dream.

Soul Catcher
by Zigomar

Comment:
"I wouldn't venture to far beyond these woods," warned Cooper.
"And why is that," Warren asked warily as he slung his bow on his back. He had just spotted the stag he had been tracking off in the distance.
"Notice how that part of the forest is darker than where we stand? Well, long ago they say a witch was cleaved to a tree. Her evil spirit remains and any who venture to close," Cooper extended his hands, wiggled his fingers, and made a loud, slurping sound, "she sucks yer soul out. The last thing you see as you are being drawn in is the faces of the others she trapped. They call that tree, the Soul Catcher."
Warren wrinkled his face in disgust and shook his head, "Do you really believe that crap? Well you stay here then, I'll bring home the venison tonight."
Cooper watched Warren rush forward and disappear in the deeper reaches of the forest. "Somehow, I doubt that," he shook his head sadly.


Very spooky and surreal photo! It makes me think this is a cover page to a book with spooky stories. The B&W is perfect for it adds to the eeriness of the scene.

sunflower #2
by dragonlady

Comment:
Floral rays slowly open one by one
yellow bursts with the touch of the sun.
The fields come alive with morning light
as bugs & plants shake of the blanket of night.

Wow, very bold, and vibrant hues of green and yellow! I also love all the detail in the sunflower.

The Birds and the Pier at Huntington Beach
by kagnew66

Comment:
Sarah watched the little sandpipers dart long the sand. Off in the distance was the Pier where she knew her uncle was fishing. He never came down to the shoreline to walk the beach as that he did not like to get wet. The dinner table that evening was sure to have tuna or whatever he caught this afternoon. How ironic she thought, "Funny how we build things to fish on, while these little sandpipers do not fear getting their feet wet when fishing for food."

Lovely and scenic landscape. Love the soft glow of light upon the birds, sand, and the pier.

Ways
by Tiberius

Comment:
He stopped and stood at the crossroads. "How like life's path are these stairs," he contemplated, "Choose the higher path, and the climb is difficult. Or choose the lower path, and the descent is easy." Moments passed like heartbeats. He drew in a deep breath and cast his glance at the climb.

You have a keen eye to see this moment in time. It is very symbolic of paths chosen in life.

Pale Beauty
by h2

Comment:
Pink whispers in the wind,
it is time to awake.
Petals unfurl
touched by the Spring Sun.

I love the soft, pastel hues. The pastel hues of the flowers speak so eloquently that Spring is here.

Free
by LalliSig

Comment:
Zephyr Lily, she blossoms.
White petals whisper upon the wind.
She takes flight
over land, over sea.

Very lovely. The lighting is superb, and I love the motion of the waves, the clouds and the cloth she holds all are rippling in the same direction. When I look upon the shot, I get the strong sense that she is the Goddess of the Wind/air. Just a point of interest; there is another photo in the competition that this could be a companion piece too. It has a lady in red in the desert. I imagine a book of myths and on one page is your Goddess of Air and the next page has the Goddess of Fire.