Picture of the Day - October 23, 2009

"The Fallen"

Photo and narrative by Winston "Rocky" Rockwell.               (Click on the photo for a larger view) The warm, sunny days of summer are behind us for another year, and the cold, dark months of winter are on our doorstep, but in between, autumn gives the Grand Master one last chance to show us the beauty of His handiwork as the colors of fall blaze in the trees around us. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and altogether too short. I'd be quite content if I could stretch autumn out for an extra month or two, just to spend it taking in the spectacular colors and beauty of the season. We've had some blustery, wet weather the last few days, and I found this fallen maple leaf on my deck when I returned home this afternoon. The colors were brilliant, all the hues of the season seemingly contained, as if by magic, in this single leaf, and the contrast between the vibrant leaf and the drab, dark, wet wood struck me as a dramatic study in contrasts. The light - what there was of it on a gray, dreary day - was fading fast, so I quickly got my tripod and camera and set up to snap some shots before it got too dark. As I looked at this photo, it occurred to me once again how often beauty can be found without ever leaving home. Sometimes all we have to do is simply open our eyes to see the wonders of nature that present themselves, quite literally, on our doorstep... This shot was taken with a Canon EOS 5D in manual mode with a Tamron SP24-135 lens at 41mm, 8 second exposure at f/13 using a remote shutter release. For more of my images, please visit www.northwestnaturalimagery.com.     Visitor Comments... Name: Rick Rouse Town: Abingdon, VA God certainly isn't stingy with His wonderful creations. He makes sure that all of us have the opportunity to enjoy them regardless of where we happen to live. Great job as always Rocky.     Name: Marion Finley Town: Olathe, KS Mr. Rockwell, by photographing a single leaf you have most successfully captured the beauty and essence of the most wonderful season of the year. Your images inspire us novice photographers to want to learn as much as we can about taking great photographs. But more importantly, your thoughtful narratives help us to understand that the images themselves aren't nearly as important as the amazing Creator who gave us all this beauty to enjoy in the first place. I don't even know you sir, but I greatly admire you. Thanks for all you do to help bring just a little more joy and understanding to our lives.     Name: Ron Trees Town: Spokane, WA So very simple in composition, yet so very elegant in execution. Great photo Rocky!! I have yet to see a leave that looks like this on our side of the mountains. You did a splendid job with this photo!!     Name: Gordon Brugman Town: Gatlinburg, TN An entire season’s magic distilled into a single fallen leaf. Wonderful capture, Rocky.     Name: Ed Morrison Town: Dunwoody, GA Outstanding!!!     Name: Shirley Meeks Town: Asheboro, NC Beautiful colors. I have never seen a leaf this brilliant! Great job!     Name: Beth Ferguson Town: Salinas, CA Gorgeous!!!!!     Name: Robert Schwarztrauber Town: Buffalo, NY Superb color and lines in this wonderful fall photo by Mr. Rockwell. I'm equally amazed that it was shot so clearly, outdoors, with an 8 second exposure. I'm afraid in my town, in 8 seconds, it would have blown away leaving me with just a blur! Mr. Rockwell has a great eye for composition and the photographic skill to capture it. Great photo here. Comment on today's picture    View previous "Pictures Of The Day"  |  Submit a photo | Why I publish the "Picture Of The Day"