Study of Leaves - Take One

Heavy Metal

Two of my photographs accepted for the Artist Showcase this weekend happened to be close-ups of simple leaves. I guess I have always been fond of leaves - they are really quite intricate pieces of God's creation once you stop and really take notice. In fact, the hallway leading to our bedrooms was decorated with leaves, using some stamps for an outline and painting them in, accenting with flecks of gold.

The morning I photographed "Heavy Metal" was after a fall rain storm. I had gotten in the car to go to work, and looked through the windshield to see the debris left on my car hood by high winds. One such piece of debris was a dried, brown oak leaf. However, with large water droplets it seemed as though the rains were trying to revitalize this "old, dried out" leaf.

It happened that the photo assignment for a photography group I am involved with, for October - was to "photograph a single leaf on the ground". I decided it would be worth getting to work a few minutes late, and could not pass up my desire to photograph a naturally occuring contrast between nature, organic matter, and man-made, heavy metallic objects.

It was not until I downloaded the photography to my computer, and opened it up for viewing, that I could see how the water droplets had taken on a molten metal look as they reflected the gray skies overhead and silver metal of the car roof. Suddenly an ordinary, dried up old oak leaf has become interesting.

To my delight, as I watched people view my photo grouping on Friday night at the Artist Showcase, this was the photo that really grabbed viewers attention, with many leaning down to get a better glimpse and read the title, as it was displayed lower in the grouping.

Originially I was going to share both leaf photographs in this post. But the more I study the other, the more I am drawn to a link between the photo and one battling cancer. It makes me think of Marv, which means therefore, that I will have much to say about it. I hope to find time Sunday to share my thoughts.

Thanks for coming by - and I hope you don't mind my sharing a photograph now and then, one that is not scrapbooked, although I do have layout designs in my head for my nature photography as well.

Have fun shooting pictures! Notice Him everywhere and in everything!

Rita S.