People are impressed by the Academy Awards ceremony, all the glitz and glamour, the celebrities and the recognition for their work. However there are much easier ways to pick up your own Oscar statue.

This weeks PhotoFriday, “Nature,” is a much broader theme than we’ve had in the last few weeks. So lots of choices this time — too many — and in the end I figured that showing the vastness of a natural area, barely touched by man was the way to go. This image is originally from my tribute to Ansel Adams.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Lightness.” I’m entry number 220.

Trapped in Cuba? (In Sancti Spiritus.)

If I’d gone with my first instinct, this weeks PhotoFriday theme, “Fear,” would have been incredibly easy. Many people fear snakes, but one person in particular has had a bad week and I didn’t want to make it any worse. Also, I’ve use that picture before (“Dangerous“).

Instead find the above picture of a woman in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. She looks trapped, fearful. She may be very happy for all I know, but for the purposes of this challenge she is in fear.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Urban Landscape.” My entry is number 263.

Graffiti at the top of the Empire State Building, New York

I thought this image encompasses the concept of an “Urban Landscape” quite nicely. It shows much of downtown New York from the Empire State building and includes a bunch of graffiti at the bottom which is kind of “urban.”

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Seaside.” I’m entry number 159.

My previous exploits in San Francisco have been well documented (1 2 3 4 5) so I shall just get straight into the images.

This time I have no particular theme to link the pictures together. I quite like the Golden Gate Bridge peeking through the fog and the yachts. I got a better day to visit Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid.

Despite Californian voters failing to reject Prop 8, the graffiti in Los Angeles shows that not everyone agrees: Post No Bills Prop.