"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring."
George Santayana
Last week brought the first frost of the Fall season and I had already staked out a field of scarlet colored Sumac that would be a first stop on the first frosty morning. When the time came I was up with the early roosters and kneeling among the red flashes of leaves that were ladden with frost. As the sun rose off the horizon I knew I had to work fast as I was already seeing the rising steam from fields indicating that the melting process was underway.
As the end of the morning shoot was nearing I was packing up gear and getting ready to walk out of the field when I noticed a white leaf on the ground near where I was standing. As I got closer I thought that a quick snap would preserve the moment, but, as I started becoming more serious, camera angle, shutter speeds and aperture settings became important. The blazing colors that dominated my mind just minutes before faded as I looked at this beautiful still life....of still life...in an almost monochromatic state. In this situation, unlike that of the pulsating reds of the Sumac leaves, the frost crystals became THE subject, becoming front and center to the composition.
Sometimes turning ones head will result in a better opportunity, but it takes changing ones mind to reach the desired result. In this case I spent 95% of the morning fixated on the color red and 4% on the capture of frost. Oh, and the final 1% of the time was the walking in and walking out...which, as my friend Mike Houge would say, is all part of the journey.
The season is changing, the geese are getting restless, the corn is turning to beige and the morning air is crisp with the hint of the winter to come. Take advantage of these golden days to get out, absorb and reflect.
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment on your favorite of this post.
My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649
For more views of my work visit;
"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa http://www.apieceofworkinc.com
Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota www.lanesboroarts.org
BetterPhoto.com http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V