Autumn On Blue

There is a common misconception that if you want to create good images you must travel great distances and visit exotic locations. This could not be further from the truth as great images can be found (and made) anywhere. This includes around your home, neighborhood, local park, or community. What is needed is for you to get out, start seeing, and let your creativity run loose. Those were the circumstances that led to this image. The location was the street just outside of my home. It was autumn and the leaves had changed to gold and red. It had rained heavily the previous night. When I went out early in the morning to inspect for storm damage, I came across a single maple leaf floating in a puddle of water in the street. With the overhead trees reflected in the dark blue water from the clearing skies, the single leaf stood out like a beacon. There was also contrast between the sharp detail of the leaf and the soft tree reflections which further increased the leaf’s visual weight. To me, the reflections looked more like a cloth pattern than detailed tree branches. In keeping with my minimalist philosophy for composition, I place the leaf in the lower corner so that its orientation would lead the viewer’s eye into the negative space of the reflections. All that in a small puddle just outside my front door. No plane ticket was required to make a great image. Beautiful images and visual stories can be found anywhere you choose to venture and explore.

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