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 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.