My version of early fall colors - alders and big leaf maples on the upper Sacramento River. I liked the contrast of the dead and decaying leaves on the smooth water.
Any comments welcome. I’ve been intending to go back to this place to work on this idea further, but haven’t had a chance.
Single frame, a73r, 105mm, 1/80s, f/11, ISO 800, hand held.
Hi Bonnie, I like this as well with the subtle colors and textures of the leaves standing out from the grayish water. An intriguing image.
This image has a lot of complexity, but when you study it for a while you see the structure that you imposed on this chaos. What I find most striking about this image is the water and not the leaves. The water looks almost like grey oil paint, and for a while it had me wondering what I was actually looking at. Once I got to that point, then my eye wandered around the image, appreciating the various colors and stages of decay in he leaves themselves. The processing looks great, just the right amount of contrast to create some impact.
Bonnie, I’m thoroughly enjoying this view. Part of the fun is putting in the time to see what’s going on, with the blue/grey reflection feeling like paint. You’ve got a fine mix of shapes, lines and textures. An even closer view, without or with minimal bits at the bottom would likely be even more abstract.
Bonnie,
I just had to jump in here and tell you that you have this amazing and uncanny ability to see and capture these - often mind-bending, natural abstracts. It seems each of your posts is like something we’ve never seen before. Sure, lots of images of leaves on still water… but the colors and the perception of some molten metal… at first I didn’t even recognize the leaves! Wonderful vision and capture!
I’m torn wondering if there’s a crop or version that doesn’t contain the “reality” of the bottom? It’s not detracting or anything… But then again, that edge and tension between the water the mud? is one of the things that give the water a metallic, molten appearance.
Just cool!
What a pleasure to have you bring such an image to me. The molten water and almost-familiar leaves are at once soothing and astonishing.
Like @Mark_Seaver I wonder what an image would convey if detached from the shore. Or even with less shore, cropping halfway up between bottom and water.
Thank you, @Allen_Sparks, @Ed_McGuirk, @Mark_Seaver, @Lon_Overacker, and @Dick_Knudson for your comments. I’m glad you all like the way the water looks; that was one of the things that caught my eye. I totally agree about the rocks at the bottom - it would be better without so much of the bottom. I was having trouble getting a crop that had enough of the water and reflections without so much rock (and I didn’t have so much time when I was here to work the scene). I hope to find more of these scenes this fall and get back to this spot.
As noted by others, the water and leaves make for a compelling image. I had to download this to better study the composition and it looks fine to me. Personally, I would prefer the abstract without the dark rocks on the bottom. I think the real story is in the leaves and the water and the black shapes don’t add that much. However, when placed within a frame they seem to belong more.
Wow! I love this image, Bonnie. I don’t have more to add to what others have said, but this is such a creative composition. As Igor mentioned, the bottom section of muddy decay seems out of place, at first, but I think it’s nicely balanced out by the prominent leaf at the top. This feels like a fine art piece, which would look quite stunning hanging on a wall. I hope this finds its way to a print format. Thank you for sharing!
