Space Maple

At this time of year I find my eyes continuously being drawn towards the ground. I love looking at the leaves. I think this certainly predates the blipping experience. It's akin to looking for pebbles on a beach, the eyes always scanning for interesting shapes and patterns and colours. It's just the same with leaves. I'm always on the lookout for a really beautiful leaf.

When they are first formed on the tree each leaf is pretty much identical, but each one experiences its own micro-climate and specific blend of nutrients. As time passes, every single leaf assumes a unique character, stamped with its own signature, presenting its personal history in terms of colour and the pattern of decay. It's hard not to see each one as a metaphor of each human life in this world.

As it happens, I've not blipped too many autumn leaves, indeed A Brief Coalescence (a personal favourite of mine) is the only one I can think of. I guess it's the case that if I have an alternative shot then I feel like I can always capture leaves another day.

I saw this maple leaf while out running before work this morning and it just begged to be photographed. It was simply sitting flat against the black tarmac of the road. This was taken as I found it. I have a rule that when it comes to shooting nature I never want to interfere. I like to take pictures of things just as I come across them. For some reason, that's quite important to me ... although I do, of course, mess about once the photograph has been taken so it's a bit silly really!