For fourteen Septembers I found myself excited to be in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There is the most beautiful fall foliage I have had the privilege to encounter. Over all of those years my sense of the beautiful has been expanded immeasurably by all of the tiny, out-of-the-way pockets of amazement that I have discovered in my travels; for instance this small wetland just off the edge of US 41 south of Baraga. For me, its complexity spoke a simplicity highlighted by the reflections in the still water and the early morning light playing through the grasses. I think I heard Eliot Porter speaking as well. A focal length of 180mm, the long end of short telephoto, allowed me to exclude unwanted information; compress the elements; and emphasize the relationships among the water, grass, and stumps. An aperture of f/22 allowed for depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 0.6 seconds at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
Don, this image feels like an invitation to join a leisurely canoe trip along this meandering stream, with old stumps signposting the way. What a relaxing way to start a Sunday morning!
Yes this does look like an invitation. It is calling me… Calling me… Over and over again. My favorite time of year and favorite place. This photo is a good example of capturing the beauty around us. It doesn’t need a waterfall, mountain, flowers, or sunset. It has it’s own beautiful story. Thanks for seeing this and sharing it.
The old stumps lead us in a meandering “s” curve through the image and out in the upper right much like the gates on a ski course. The colorful leaves add texture to the familiar mirror like reflections and tell us that this scene was taken during a turning of the seasons. My heart puts me in the UP again this fall but my billfold says no!
Good morning Everyone. Thank you all for joining me for this Image. Don, you were up awfully early to have written this before our last session on Sunday; and I very much appreciate that you took the time to respond. Your observation reminds me of the interesting fact that all photography is, in truth, illusion. I recall all of the jumbled and tangled forest detritus around the edge of and in this pond that made getting into a position that I really liked quite challenging, and the entire pond would make canoeing an interesting proposition. An enticing, meandering stream would be about the last thing I would have thought about while being there. Thank you for seeing such a pleasant possibility. Nancy T., I do know how you love the UP as do I, and I appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments. You are so right on: there are so many beautiful intimate moments in the UP and everywhere that that grand icon will never be sufficient by itself to satisfy our quest for that beauty. Dorsey, I know that you, also, love this place. When I began alternating years spent in the UP, I did so with great consternation. I had become infatuated with the incredible displays of autumn splendor. I will return in 2016, and perhaps I’ll see you there. Thank you all, again, for being with me. Have a beautiful fall.
Don, another delightful image that situates the viewer in the moment. I very much like the strong horizontal across the bottom (good foundation), in contrast to the two diagonals leading OUT of the frame’s corner (aspiration, elevation). Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Ray, it’s great to have you join us; and thanks for your thoughtful observations. I appreciate your notion of the foreground grass as foundation. It also seemed to me that, if you notice the small tuft of grass in the lower left just behind the first stump and see it as connected to the foundational line you point out, there is created with them a relationship with the grasses in the upper part of the image through the continuation of the implied line along the edge of the frame. And, of course, as you point out, the diagonals always imply a sense of movement across them as they travel through a frame. The back sidelight playing through the scene in the early morning sun, peeping in and out of clouds, was the gravy that brought it all together for me. Thanks, again, for being with us.