Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Macro (A Single Oak Leaf)

08 September 2014

Lens:

1. Fallen Oak Leaf, iPhone 4s; Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

2. Fallen Oak Leaf, iPhone 4s; Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

3. Fallen Oak Leaf, iPhone 4s; Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

Let me know which you prefer and why.

Pens:

In the pre-autumn days I become a collector, ever vigilant for one of the symbols of the upcoming season: fallen single or multiples of leaves. In my world each leaf represents the life cycle as well as the essence of our individual journeys. They never cease to intrigue me.

Autumn is without reservation a memorable place on my mental calendar of time and place. It would be a struggle to live where this transformation does not exist.

As summer wanes, the landscape gives hints of the days ahead. Spent flowers are going to seed, providing needed food for wildlife. Birds seem especially ravenous. Migration is nearing. Leaves become signposts for these changes. So I am on my most observant behavior.

It’s not planned; it’s instinctual. I become a more diligent voyeur of nature’s dance. Leaves entrance my visual field, transfixing my attention during daily walks.

Even though they cascade in silence, I behold their presence as newly fallen or aged. Sometimes they have not transformed and simple separate from their host, taking weeks for alterations to be noticed. Mostly, small to monumental changes become the usual.

Over the last few weeks the landscape has begun this transition; the performance has started. Already dogwoods are multi-colored. Oaks have started to tint. Leaves are sprinkled here and there.

I’m discovering small gems to dry and savor. Each one easily becomes its own personality with unique qualities.

Some plants and trees hold these small wonders longer than others, keeping them is dependent upon temps, the ticking of days and variations in climate. Macro is a way to spy on their designs–designs and patterns that are hidden from our naked eyes.

These delicate yet critically-important slices of nature are apt examples that show Mother Nature does not waste anything. Unlike human littering and loitering upon the planet, nature recycles.

Eventually everything becomes something else: the new, expected and unexpected appear and reappear and reappear again. Life continues.

Tip of the Week: This week I’d like to introduce you to another nature macro photographer: Canadian Damien Clarke. He says, “I want to connect people to the small world that is all around us and remind them of the smaller beauty that is so often missed. I try to bring happiness, awe or quiet contemplation into people’s lives.” His work moves across the genre of nature photography that includes animals, abstractions, flowers, and insects. Clarke is equally concerned about color, form, depth perception, and light. You can view his work on a few websites. Here are two: click and click. His photographs capture the miniature essence of each subject, which is achieved with sharp clarity and attention to composition. Hope that you enjoy his online collections.

Cold Morning Daisy, Flower Collection, Damon Clarke

Lichen Untitled, Forest Collection, Damon Clarke

View other entries for this week’s challenge: Macro

http://irisgreenwald.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-photo-challenge-macro/

http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-photo-challenge-macro/

http://pilotfishblog.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-photo-challenge-macro-wild-things-in-the-woods/

http://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-close-up-of-elderly-leaves/

http://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/itsy-bitsy-spider/

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-photo-challenge-macro/

http://decocraftsdigicrafts.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-challenge-macro-amarylls/

http://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2014/09/09/phoneography-challenge-macro/

http://angelinem.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/phoneography-challenge-a-macro-piece-of-the-pine/

http://nwframeofmind.com/2014/09/08/iphoneography-monday-9-8-14/

http://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/09/09/looking-for-a-needle/

http://allkindsaeverything.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/phoneography-and-non-slr-challenge-macro-5/

http://vastlycurious.com/2014/09/10/phoneography-the-forrest/

http://livingwithmyancestors.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/charlie-up-close-and-personal/

Note:

If you’d like to join the Photo Challenge, please click here for details. If you have any questions, please contact me. Below is a reminder of the monthly schedule with themes for upcoming Photo Challenges:

1st Monday: Nature.

2nd Monday: Macro.

3rd Monday: Black and White.

4th Monday Challenger’s Choice (Pick One: Abstraction, Animals, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Objects, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).

5th Monday: Editing and Processing with Various Apps Using Themes from the Fourth Week.

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