Sometimes, with the right light, a simple scene along a roadside or a hiking trail can be a thing of tremendous beauty. It’s something I come across all the time. I tell my friends that this is how my eyes work, and I can’t turn it off, nor, would I want to.

Take as an example, the photo above. It’s just two oak leaves which have fallen and come to rest on a stump. My eyes are, for some inexplicable reason, drawn to these scenes. I look at the simplicity of the composition nature has provided and it brings me joy.

My dilemma, frequently, is how do I capture this moment in time effectively, so others can enjoy it too. Most times nature, and my knowledge of light and my camera, suffice. While, at other times, the elements just don’t align, or I get my camera setting wrong, and the scene becomes, simply a memory. If I go back the next day for a reshoot, the light is rarely the same, or some other element has moved or changed slightly and the magic is gone.

I’m learning, on every shot, what settings need to be made, based on failures and experimentation. Many times now, it’s just instinct, and I like that. There are images I could not have made a few years back and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.

In this case, all the elements aligned and my settings were OK, though I would change aperture if I had to re-shoot. I was drawn by the light on the oak leaves and, as I looked at the composition, I really liked the textures of the old log they were laying on. Oddly enough, in some cases I can’t really articulate what it is about composition that I find appealing till I get back to my computer and really look at the image, then it becomes obvious.

Nikon D300
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm
1/60 sec @ f/5-.33, ISO 250

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