More scenes by the river, via Ziva

Early this fall, one of my blog followers asked if I had ever gotten a shot of a leaf in mid-air.  I admitted that aside from set-up shots, I had not.  Today, walking the Greenway with Ziva, I spotted a leaf just after it detached from an upper branch of a tall tree.  Going for broke, I dropped Ziva's leash while pulling my iPhone out of my pocket.  Luckily, the thumb print reader worked first try, so the phone was unlocked, and I had left the camera app on.  I got this shot:

Not long after, we came upon a very colorful isolated "hanger-on".  I got fairly close to it, to see how similar a result I could get to the delicate photos I did last month with more serious camera gear.  The answer was - not too similar.  On the other hand, I like the way the wide view included the hanger-on in the lower right corner.  Or maybe I should refer to myself as the hanger-on!

I wanted to inspect the evolution/degradation of the abandoned bridge over Crabtree Creek, as it shows signs of being taken over and pulled apart by plant life.

At this point, I think it would be cool if it could safely be allowed to completely disintegrate, but I suppose it will probably be razed at some point.  As I've raised the point, kids - don't try anything foolish, like exploring rickety structures.

The shot above is a stitched panorama, created with the iPhone.

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A Surprising Blast of Color

I was issued a "throw down" challenge this morning related to my "last leaf" post.  So, I looked around a bit this afternoon for another straggler, or maybe a leaf pressed into the mud from the drizzle once that started.  I didn't have much success, so I'm conceding victory to my challenger, but I did find one spot with lots of leaves remaining and lots of color.  Here is what resulted:

And, continuing the tradition established yesterday, here's today's photo of Ziva resting.  Isn't her tail impressively bushy?  Doesn't she look harmlessly sedate?  Hah!  That can change in a millisecond!

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The Last Leaf, Five Views

I was already going to call this series of photos "the last leaf" - because that's exactly what it was for this particular group of trees - when I was informed that there's an O. Henry short story by that name. It is one that I hadn't read, but I have now, and it seems very apropos.  I can only hope that some of the poignancy of the story is mirrored in the photographs.

In typical fashion, I was "captured" by the sight of this hanger-on as soon as I spotted it, but had to explore positions and angles to try to find the effect I was imagining.

I knew right away that I wanted to feature the contrasting blues and yellows in the background.

Generally, when photographing a relatively flat subject (though this leaf was actually quite curled in its dry afterlife) and wishing to separate it from its background, a good strategy is to align the plane of the subject with the camera sensor and open the lens wide for a shallow depth of field.  This can render the subject sharp and the rest of the scene blurred.  However...

...after working the scene for a while, I decided that potentially the most powerful aspect of the subject was the kind of dancing character that appeared when the leaf was viewed from a bit of an angle.  The gradual softening of focus from the nearest part of the leaf to the furthest also adds a sense of motion that I like.  So, my final take: Last Dancing Leaf.

[all photos, Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 L IS macro]

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-last-leaf-five-views.html

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Head-Up Display

For about half a century, jet fighter pilots have had head-up displays (projected on the windscreen or mounted in a helmet), so that critical information could be viewed without shifting their vision down toward an instrument panel.  A couple of decades later, similar systems began to appear in some commercial aircraft.  Then a few cars began to offer similar features (possibly as much to make them seem like jet planes as to make them safer to drive).

I don't have that kind of high tech feature in my car, but when I got in it today, this rainy afternoon, I was confronted with an artistic display that almost seemed to be projected on the windshield.  Before cranking the engine and running the wipers, I had to get out my iPhone to do this photo.  I think it would have been a misdemeanor, if not a felony moving violation, to drive off without the shot!

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/11/head-up-display.html

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One way, three elements

One way to view a carpet of leaves:

We used to be told that there is a rule of photographic composition (as if there could be any such thing as a rule!) that there must be one subject.  Each picture should have one clearly perceptible object that is most important.  Well, it's a very good guideline that can be helpful in many situations.  "What are you hoping to show with this photo?  What do you want to draw the viewer's eye to?  What can you keep out of the field of view to avoid distracting from what really matters?"

On the other hand...(you knew there would be a contrary thought, of course) sometimes the point of an image is a pattern, a symmetry or a break from symmetry, or even a competition between two elements.  Or three.

I think, so far, that what I tried this afternoon works pretty well.  I was drawn to the pattern of fallen red leaves that were interspersed with green/blue-green ivy.  A clump of green tree leaves sticking up from the "carpet" seemed like a suitable subject, but one that needed to remain integrated with the pattern, and not completely dominate the scene.  I decided also to include the sun, which was very near the local horizon created by the hill.  So, I set things up as you see, and to me, it keeps my eyes moving about between the competing elements of leaves and sun, and following the lines in the pattern on the ground.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/11/one-way-three-elements.html

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Three Falling Leaves

Okay, photo-sleuths, here's an easy puzzle for you:
How was this image accomplished?  There was no use of Photoshop or any other image editing program to add, subtract, or move elements.  So was it just an amazingly well timed catch?

[Canon 5D Mk III, 35 mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO 640]

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Six Faces of Leaves

Here are six views of the autumn leaves in one area, within a few minutes.  As I've done before, I'll point out how much the changing sunlight can dramatically alter an image.  But first, I want to drop in one iPhone shot from a little earlier in the day.  Walking through the woods with Ziva, I found these mushrooms almost hidden in the leaves by the side of the path.

That's one type of photo where a phone can do a very creditable job.  On the other hand, the images that follow would have had no interest for me if I'd shot them with a phone or other small format camera.  What I used was a Canon DSLR with a 300 mm lens, which meant I could isolate elements I wanted to feature, and effectively create complementary backgrounds out of things that could have been distracting.  The camera also could handle the wide range of bright and dark tones so that I could play with them and make the designs work.

Note how one group of leaves was struck by a sunbeam and stood out in the next photo.

A moment later, the light path had shifted and that beam was blocked by something in the canopy.  With an adjustment of the composition, the changed lighting gave me another picture that I liked.

After concentrating on the sunlit scenes above, I did a shot of a grouping near my eye level.

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Autumn's last blast

This morning I got a few iPhone pics of the remaining fall colors, as I walked Ziva along a wooded path.  No dog pictures today - I have to give it a day's rest so that some of you will want to see her on the morrow (how's that for a quaint old phrase)!

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By the Huron River

Here are seven iPhone shots from a walk along the Huron River, October 12.

From inside the shady canopy of a hemlock:

This stump put me in mind of a miniature city.

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Harvesting Fall Colors

When autumn leaves are really showing off their colors, it's a perfect time to wander with a camera and collect "samples".  These were gathered over the course of three days, devoting an hour or two each day to photography.  It felt like minutes - time flies when I'm having fun.  Paradoxically, it sometimes almost seems to stand still when I'm "working a scene", but when I'm done I'll wonder where the hour went.

You'll see a lot of strong color contrast in these photos.  The split tree, though, I like for the subtlety of the hues, with strength residing in shapes and textures.

Here is how this one was originally shot, for comparison.  An early viewer graciously took the time to comment, pointing out some glaring faults.  I think the cropped version above is closer to what I was imagining (and should have seen before posting!) - I don't expect everyone to like the juxtaposition of corrugated steel and soft leaves, but that contrast is in fact what caught my eye.  Thanks to those of you who look closely and are willing to say what you think.  I really appreciate it! I don't post everything I shoot, of course, but this blog is in part an exercise and learning tool for me.  That's why the photos are generally in chronological order, rather than being arranged artfully as a group.

The bright colors of this wagon fit the mood of the season, and I liked the tension of chaos and order in the different types of wire.

Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/10/harvesting-fall-colors.html

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