Autumn Haiku

As leaves fall to ground

pure beauty reveals itself

briefly before death

Ira Gardner

Occasionally I attempt to write a haiku poem. It is an exercise that relates directly to my photography as I see the goal of composition as being that of creating interesting juxtaposition of elements with as much simplicity as possible.

I think the most profound thoughts come from the fewest words and I think photography has the ability to inspire deep thoughts through the absence of words altogether.

I made this image in October of 2017 while driving to work. I had spied this potential photograph for more than 10 years but had always been in too much of a hurry to stop. This day I could not pass by and allowed myself the pleasure of spending 20 minutes staring at the magic and to feel the wind as it moved the leaves and created what I could only describe as something close to watching a Disney movie like Fantasia.

I have lived with this 4 foot wide print in my home for the past two years. It takes on a different appearance under the ever changing light over the course of the seasons of the year. I brings me happiness much like listening to Bob Ross paint.

This is perhaps the closest I have come to creating a photograph that just feels like it was a painting. The white aspen trunks make me feel like I was painting them with a Sumi-e brush.

The wall we hung it on is blue-gray which completes the effect of having all the primary colors of painting as well as white light. In my research on Chineses Painting I found that the colors in this painting are closely associate with good fortune. I indeed felt that I had been blessed with good fortune on the day I finally stopped to capture this scene.

I hope you have a wonderful Fall Season and are the recipient of many blessings.