The small red maples that line the shore of the old mill pond at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, just a stone’s throw from the marvels of Moonstone Beach on Rhode Island’s incredible coast, offer themselves first as reflected leaves in the tannin-laced waters of the old mill pond. As the season progresses they continue their journeys often on the surface of the pond itself, where they join with the lily pads that have grown from the soft bottom of the pond to break the shallow surface. There they will run the wabi-sabi gamut of decay before finally becoming nutrients to help the next generation of lilies send their creamy blossoms to float with the Atlantic breezes.
A focal length of 450mm narrowed my angle-of-view into three distinct, but joined, areas of liquid surface. An aperture of f/16 at an ISO of 200 allowed for a shutter speed of 1/13th second, just fast enough to stop the slight motion of the light breeze and to provide an overall medium exposure.
The Ocean State’s fall color is a jewel of rare beauty that sparkles in the light as if seen through a giant prism.
Good morning, Don. Now THAT is an interesting image. As with last week, my eye travels up from lower right to upper left, but in this image I want to return to the stability of the lily pads. Your excellent depth of field control give us calm as well as a riotous dance of movement, color, energy higher up. An article I read years ago challenging us to understand the merits of “abiding” versus “abounding” stuck with me. This image reminds me of that pending question. Thanks for the image. Ray
Okay. I have seen enough images this past month to say that you have officially crossed over to “The Bonnie Side”. That is a good thing. Sometimes we get so locked into one set of rules in photography and forget that there are many other wonderful ways to express our feelings when we see a scene. The top half reminds me of a Van Gogh painting. You sure have been teasing me the past two weeks showing me what I can experience in the UP if I only open my eyes and mind.
*Once again you have out done it. This is a gorgeous picture; I just love the display of colors. In fact, I must compliment you on all your pictures. I look forward to enjoying a new one each week. Take care. You really should try to have your book published. I for one would be proud to own it.
It looks like a big group hug and a celebration of the time year when the leaves on the trees finally get to swim and join the lily pads. The sky and the water have joined to make all the festive colors bright. It’s a happy time and you captured the moment so well. Thanks for being there and sharing it with us.
Good evening Everyone. Thank you all very much for joining me for this conversation. Bonnie and I have returned home from an excellent week of sharing the Smokies with a great group of Road Scholar travelers at Lake Junaluska, NC. We’re already looking forward to our next adventure there in just over two weeks.
Hey Ray. It’s becoming a joyful anticipation to hear from you with such frequency. As you have now intuited, our normal, left-to-right, way of reading an image can be upset by the power of composition with the result that we can appreciate a different flow of the visual energy depending on the photographer’s success in arranging the elements at hand in certain ways. A strong counterclockwise circular flow from place to place within an image can achieve that result, which is what I wanted to accomplish here. And good depth-of-field was a key to that end. Too much “softness” somewhere and the eye would not be able to take the next step to the next place. “Abiding” and “abounding” are excellent words to consider when thinking about the eye’s movement through an image for they well-describe the notions of lingering and leaving as the eye makes its journey. Thanks for your astute comments.
Hey Kev. Your clear-eyed observations always challenge me to consider carefully what I am seeing and doing in my creative journey. So I’ve finally crossed the Bonnie Cooper line, have I? We did, indeed, have a good time working together this past week; so I suppose that means she’s keeping me honest. Yes, if you think that Rhode Island can be a color riot, the UP will take your breath away. We’re getting closer to it every day. Walk in Beauty.
Hi Sandy. It’s great to hear from you! I hope you and Tom have been well. I really appreciate your encouragement about the book. I hope to work on finding a publisher as soon as the spring work slows down a bit, and I’m delighted you are enjoying the Image for the Asking. Your kind words mean a lot. Be well and keep creating beauty.
Hi Nancy T. It’s always great to hear from you. Your descriptions of the Image and your delightful commentaries always make me grateful to be a photographer. Hope to talk very soon.
Thank you all, again for being part of our creative family. You always make me grateful that I can do what I do and share my journey with such wonderful companions Take good care.