"Levitating" Leaf

Close up views of water have become something of an obsession lately. Water has many interesting attributes, including reflection, refraction, flow, transparency; the list is endless. It is a fundamental thing.

So, just for fun, here's a little leaf floating in a clear pool where direct morning light had just cleared the canyon wall from the left - no reflections from the surface were possible.



Does this work as a subject? The image almost demands an explanation. Does this make it more, or less, worthwhile?

All comments are very much appreciated.

Canon 5D and 180mm macro lens.

Tom

Tom,

I knew it would be impressive from the title and you don't disappoint! The geometry seems to work at first, but why no distortion due to the angle and the relatively hard-edges shadow?

Asher

Hi Tom,
That's an extraordinary image! You're right, it seems to demand an explanation but I think that's what makes it so intriguing.
I especially like the way the leaf is highlighted and the darker contrast of the bottom of the pool seems almost to slide the leaf.

Best,

Johnhttp://www.lightsimage.com

Tom Robbins said:

Close up views of water have become something of an obsession lately...
Does this work as a subject?

Click to expand...

Hi Tom

Yes it definitely works, this is the most intriguing shot I've seen in ages, perfect, in fact I could see it as a large print on my bedroom wall!

Funny isn't it how we develop obsessions about particular subjects, last winter mine was trying to capture movement of blowing seed heads, and I can feel it coming on again now that the garden is dying back and the weather's getting windy....

Hi, Asher,

Asher Kelman said:

I knew it would be impressive from the title and you don't disappoint! The geometry seems to work at first, but why no distortion due to the angle and the relatively hard-edges shadow?

Click to expand...

What kind of "distortion due to the angle" are you thinking of?

Best regards,

Doug

Tom Robbins said:

Does this work as a subject? The image almost demands an explanation. Does this make it more, or less, worthwhile?

Click to expand...

Personally I would prefer a horizontal crop, with the leaf and its shadow on the central horizontal plane. It's a nice shot because it also requires a second look for clues whether it was blowing in the wind or something else.

Cheers,
Bart

All,

Thanks for the comments. It is an oddball photo, and it was great to get other folk's perspective. A horizontal crop results in a more traditional composition, and likely would have been a better photo. But there was something about the way the light slowly drifted in from the left that would not allow me to leave the shadows out. You know how it goes, obsessions being what they are...

This little autumn color reflection abstract was taken this morning in the same Illinois River canyon stream -



The stream is about an inch deep, and flows over a sandstone stream bed.

Canon 5D, 180mm macro at f 7.1, 1/13 sec and ISO 100.

The sharpest details are those where the water patterns were fairly stable. The rills and roils were in motion, and so they tend to be more on the soft side. I like the combination, but it is an abstract, and probably not to everyone's taste.

Happy Trails,

Tom

Both work. Quiet well, in fact!

Thank you Rachel!

Tom