All images copyright by the individual photographers

	Sunlight and Six Strings By Steve Dent When I first saw Steve Dent’s photo called Sunlight and Six Strings, I wondered: Is the photo about the act of playing music – or about being free on a summer day? It brought me back to my teen years during the 60’s, and I was reminded of the spirit of the folk era. I recalled moments in backyards and on hillsides where friends gathered to play music and listen. For me the title suggests a kind of harmony: sunlight as the visual “music,” and the guitar as the audible counterpart. Together, they create a sensory pairing–light and sound–blending into a single expressive moment.   Sunlight suggests openness, warmth and natural simplicity–an outdoor, unguarded existence. The six strings (guitar) anchor it in music. The title feels less like a literal description and more like a mood created by sunlight, music and freedom. Steve’s mastery of portraiture is evident in the way he balances intimacy and atmosphere, allowing the viewer to sense both the presence of the musician and the unseen melody that surrounds her. The moment captured is less about observation and more about connection–between the artist and instrument, light and form, and ultimately image and viewer. What do you feel when you look at this photo? Congratulations, Steve, for your Gallery Pick! By Marie Costanza
	Island Sunset by Joyce Freitas Island Sunset by Joyce Freitas is a striking study in contrast and atmosphere. The photograph uses colors of a bold sunset palette to reduce the landscape to essential forms, turning ordinary elements into a quietly dramatic scene. Its clarity of vision and restraint make the image feel both immediate and timeless. Strong sunset color dominates the frame, bathing the sky in saturated hues that push the trees into near-black silhouettes. The intense backlight simplifies detail and emphasizes outline, so trunks and branches read as graphic marks against the glowing sky. This reduction heightens the photograph’s visual impact and gives it a cinematic stillness. Symmetry of the trees creates an almost architectural presence—a linear wall that separates foreground from the distant horizon. The repeated verticals form a rhythmic barrier that organizes the composition and lends a sense of order. That wall-like quality makes the scene feel deliberate and composed, as if the trees are guardians of the shoreline. A glimpse of water and clouds beyond the tree line provides just enough context to suggest place without distracting from the main motif. The narrow band of reflective water and the soft shapes of clouds anchor the composition and offer a subtle counterpoint to the dense silhouette, reminding the viewer of depth and distance. Some of trees fully leafed, others bare which adds a quietly poignant layer to the image. The mix of life and bareness introduces texture and narrative: cycles of change, resilience, and quiet decay. That contrast prevents the symmetry from feeling static and invites closer inspection. The photograph feels both consoling and slightly melancholic. The warmth of the sunset suggests comfort and closure, while the silhouetted trees and the partial view of water evoke solitude and reflection. Overall, Joyce Freitas has crafted an image that is visually confident and emotionally resonant—an elegant meditation on boundary, light, and the small, telling details that make a landscape memorable. By Steve Levinson
	Sheep Lake By Tom Knauss Congratulations to Tom Knauss, whose photo Sheep Lake, taken in Rocky Mountain National Park, shows how he captured a moment where light and atmosphere transformed a familiar scene into something serene. Sunsets are often a popular subject of photographers, but what makes this one memorable is how the setting sun settles into layered mountain ridges; each receding plane softening into shades of violet and blue, creating a sense of depth and distance. The reflective surface of Sheep Lake becomes a golden anchor, drawing the eye into the scene and echoing the warmth of the sky. A particularly compelling aspect of Tom’s photo is the balance that exists between warmth and coolness, stillness and movement, simplicity and richness. The silhouetted trees at the edge provide just enough grounding to contrast the expansive openness beyond. Some photos tell an obvious story, but what I appreciate about Tom’s photo is that it opens a door for viewers to bring their own memories or sense of peace into the photo. For me the story is about the tranquility of the setting and how pleasant it would be to just sit there and take in the quiet beauty all around as the day winds down. By Marie Costanza
	Tribute to Geneseo Yellow Barn by Donna LaPlante Congratulations to Donna LaPlante for her marvelously evocative photo Tribute to Geneseo Yellow Barn. Beginning with a quiet, contemplative presence, Donna captures the rural landscape with clarity and grace. The composition is simple yet effective: the barn, placed slightly right of center, is balanced by the lone tree on the left. This creates a natural flow for the eye, while the open field and soft, foggy background give the scene space to breathe. Her color is gentle and unified. The warm yellow of the barn echoes the autumn tones in the tree, while the greens of the field provide a calm foundation. Nothing feels overpowering; instead, the colors work together to suggest a moment of seasonal change. The soft light and fog smooth out contrast and create quiet transitions between tones, allowing details—like the weathered wood of the barn—to emerge with subtle texture and a sense of history. The tall grass in the foreground adds depth, gently drawing the viewer into the scene before the eye settles on the barn and tree. There’s a strong feeling of stillness and solitude. The partially open barn door introduces a hint of narrative, inviting curiosity about what lies within or what has just passed. Overall, the photograph encourages viewers to pause, reflect, and appreciate the quiet beauty of an everyday moment. Thank you, Donna, for a quiet, contemplative reflection of this time and space. By Dick Bennett
	Misty Morning in Horse Country By Martha Price This is a quietly disciplined landscape, especially in structure and mood. Its biggest strength is composition through repetition and flow. The black fences create a beautiful rhythm, almost like contour lines on a map. They guide the eye naturally from foreground to midground and then out toward the horizon. That winding road reinforces this movement, giving the image a gentle sense of journey. There’s also a solid use of layering: foreground grass → pond → middle fields → distant barns. This creates depth without needing dramatic lighting. The overcast atmosphere works conceptually. The soft haze flattens contrast and gives the scene a calm, pastoral stillness. It feels quiet and orderly. Martha is a photographer with a good eye for structure and calm compositions. It’s aesthetically pleasing and technically sound. By Don Menges
	Bright Angel Trail and Havasupi Gardens By Michael Shoemaker This is a strong landscape image especially in how it balances scale, color, and visual flow. The biggest strength is the sense of depth. The layered formations receding into atmospheric haze create a beautiful compression of space. That soft bluish fade in the distance contrasts nicely with the warmer foreground cliffs, which is classic and effective for a place like Grand Canyon. The leading line is excellent. The winding trail and the green ribbon of vegetation pull your eye from the bottom of the frame deep into the scene. That path gives the viewer a way to “enter” the image, which is essential in expansive landscapes like this. Color-wise, the image leans slightly pastel, which gives it a dreamlike feel. That’s a stylistic choice, and here it works. It softens the harshness that canyon scenes can sometimes have. Mike has created a thoughtful, well-composed photograph with strong spatial depth and a pleasing color palette. It leans more toward quiet, contemplative landscape than dramatic spectacle. This is a valid and effective direction. By Don Menges
	The Lonely Sentinel by Patty Singer Patty Singer’s The Lonely Sentinel is a quietly powerful photograph that speaks through restraint. The image relies on a single, carefully placed subject and generous empty space to create an immediate emotional charge. Its confidence comes from what it omits as much as from what it shows. Minimalistic composition is the photograph’s strongest asset. A solitary tree occupies the frame with deliberate economy, allowing negative space to become an active element. The sparse arrangement sharpens focus on form and silhouette, turning the tree into a visual and emotional anchor. Muted colors and areas of no color give the scene a meditative calm. A subdued palette reduces distraction and heightens texture and line. Where color fades into near absence, the photograph gains a timeless, almost graphic quality that emphasizes shape over detail. Symbolism of the lonely tree landscape is rendered with subtlety rather than sentiment. The lone tree reads as a sentinel—steadfast, watchful, and quietly resilient—inviting reflections on solitude, endurance, and the passage of time. The emptiness around it amplifies those themes without tipping into melodrama. Balance provided by the grasses in the lower right corner is a masterful compositional touch. Those grasses counterweigh the tree, introduce a gentle diagonal, and give the eye a place to rest. Their texture and placement create a visual dialogue between foreground and subject that stabilizes the whole image. The Lonely Sentinel is an exercise in photographic restraint that rewards slow looking. Patty Singer transforms simplicity into narrative, using minimal elements to evoke a rich emotional landscape. The result is a photograph that lingers—quiet, composed, and deeply assured. By Steve Levinson