A study in fallen autumn leaves

 

While out on my walk this morning, I was inspired to approach my annual autumn shoots from a new perspective -- studying those leaves that have been fallen to the ground. 

I was finding myself stopping in my tracks multiple times to take pictures, appreciating not just the leaf (or leaves) themselves, but the backgrounds, the question of whether the leaf was face up or its backside arched upward, whether the stems were straight or curved and the juxtaposition of the leaf(s) in relation to other things nearby -- such as pine needles and the stems and/or fragments of nearby leaves. 

I didn't touch, reposition or "pose" any of the leaves to make my compositions; these were shot just the way I found them. 

I again took these with my iPhone 11, and spent about 20 minutes afterward using the tools in my phone to edit the pictures for crops, exposure, adding shadow detail, vibrancy and, in rare occasions, saturation ever so slightly and reducing highlights. I particularly liked the leaves backgrounded by the main street in the neighborhood; it reminded me of the moon landscape. 

There were two compositions, both of basically the same thing, in which there are many leaves bunched together. This was taken in my backyard. For this composition, I went a little heavier on the adjustments for exposure, brilliance and vibrancy.   

So with that background in mind, here is what I came up with.

Several things to appreciate in the image above -- the colors, the two "eyes" in the full leaf, the background and the small bits of pine needles in the upper right corner. In the first two images below, the backgrounds and the pairing of the two leaves ... and the stems. 

Above, the leaf's stem shadow jumped out at me; below, the linear juxtaposition (beneath the leaf) and the fragment of leaf in the upper right corner. 

 

Above, it's the montage of different leaf shapes and colors and the juxtaposition of pine needles and what appears to be a separated leaf stem ... and then, at the very bottom, the top portion of another leaf. Below, once you get past the striking colors against the street background, I zero in in the diagonal bent of the leaf's stem.

Above and below are separate studies of different leaves in a similar state of decomposition. In addition to the background juxtaposition, there's the stem shadow (above) and interesting contrast in lighting (below) to appreciate.

 

Above and next two below are examinations of leaf shapes, colors, stem shapes and secondary fragment elements. 

Above, a study of the leaf color and shadow against the background; below, a leaf caught in some taller blades of grass at the end of one neighbor's driveway close to the cul de sac.

Above, the perfect shape of the leaf offset by the 90-degree angle bent in the stem; first image below, the curved colorful leaf and its shadow adjacent to another leaf in a considerably less attractive color; and second below, more variety in a cluster of leaf shapes, color and stem directions.

Above and below are my favorite examples of leaves I came across that were arched in the air. 

Above: A leaf and its stem shadow juxtaposed by differing backgrounds created by the meeting of the street (the darker background) and driveway. 

Above, a leaf juxtaposed with leaf fragments, and below, a bent and beaten leaf whose stem is wildly airborne. 

Above and below: Examples of arched or partly arched leaves from ground perspective, allowing for some colorful backgrounds in the neighborhood to serves as secondary elements and a wide range of depth of field for the street pavement.

 

Above: A leaf juxtaposed with an array of pine needles.

Above: This is the cluster of leaves in the backyard I mentioned in the text at the top of the post. Not sure of the tree species theses leaves came from, but the colors include some green from weeds in the vicinity.