By Vladimir Brezina
This week’s Photo Challenge is Near and Far.
Every year I accompany in my kayak the swimmers that circle Manhattan in the annual Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. During this 7- or 8-hour-long race, I have plenty of opportunity to pair in my photos the swimmer in the foreground, just a few feet from my kayak, with various New York City landmarks in the distance.
And there is a particular spot in the Hudson River, with just a few miles left to go, where the landmark is the Empire State Building. I never fail to take a photo there! Here are the photos from three different years.
More photos are here, here, and here.
A second response to the challenge is here.
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 