Sunday, August 23, 2009

A walk around the block . . .



Here in the Pacific Northwest we have an obnoxious native plant called salal. It's only obnoxious when it comes up where you don't want it, otherwise, its a rather pretty, if not unruly, plant. On my walk around the block, I was noticing how much texture the fallen leaves have, and how their colors range from brown to green to gold to red. I picked up a couple, flattened them down in a phone book, and then began to shoot.

I used a 100mm macro lens and set the leaf against one of my hand-painted backgrounds for color and texture. "Set" is a misnomer. I stuck the leaf to the background paper using UHU Tack, which is the consistency of chewing gum. It peels off easily, leaving the painted background as well as the leaves pristine and ready to be used again.

It's August, but obviously fall is right around the corner. Are you ready? ©Carol Leigh

4 comments:

gottago said...

Unbelievable. Everyday a masterpiece.
I'm glad you are my teacher and not my competitor.
Linda

Carol Leigh said...

Thank you. But don't you think the leaves would look better if they were angled slightly . . . Ha! Let's not go there! -- Carol Leigh

gottago said...

you know I wanted to joke about that too.

Diane Miller said...

For an obnoxious plant that's a gorgeous leaf! Reminds me of a magnolia but with more texture. These are lovely!!