LOOKING UP IN THE WOODS

Our subdivision includes a multi-acre woods of deciduous trees.  The woods represent a great addition to our subdivision, and I should wander around in them more often than I do.  However, this afternoon I did, hoping to catch some of the fall colors.  The weather was overcast and threatening rain.  That's not necessarily a bad thing if your object is to capture that color, as, paradoxically, fall colors can be more saturated in the absence of shadows.

Here first, is an indifferent shot of the woods.

I found myself fumbling around looking for opportunities and feeling disappointed . . . until I looked up.  Again, it was overcast and shadowless, and I noticed that the leaves were showing their colors nicely against the background of leaves higher up.  So I concentrated my efforts on capturing the leaves against that multi-colored background.  Here depth of field was all-important.  I wanted to keep the closest leaves, along with the accompanying small branches, in focus, while allowing the background to go out of focus.  Here is what I got.

Some backgrounds were more uniform in color, but I liked the effect for the shapes of the leaves.

In others the varied background served to create color without distracting from the foreground leaves.

John