Not Quite Fall

It's early fall here in New Jersey, perhaps too early to visit the Grandview section of the Rock Brook, but I hopped in the car and drove over to Hollow Road anyway Nope. Nothing. Not a single yellow leaf. Not on a tree. Not on the ground.

But some of the leaves have changed colour, not enough to be noticeable in the sea of green, but enough that some leaves have fallen off from the maple tree in the front yard. The heavy rainfall from the thunderstorm effects of Hurricane Dorian had drenched the tree knocking the yellow leaves onto the grass, the car and the driveway.

Water - Macro Moments Challenge #37

Macro Moments was created by avid macro photographer, Susan Gutterman, to share the beauty of macro photography and learn from others photographers. A new challenge begins on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. The winner’s photo may be featured on her blog and used as the banner in the announcement for the next challenge. #MacroMoments

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My original vision was to create a macro shot of some object reflected in a water drop. We had a lot of rainfall in May and it seemed fitting to attempt to capture water. However, I soon discovered how difficult it is to shoot water drops. Shooting handheld down at the level of leaves was challenging. I was soon exhausted from bending over leaves and holding my breath to reduce camera shake. The slightest movement and the images are blurred.

I then tried using a tripod. This improved stability but presented a new challenge. Water drops on leaves are delicate things. Positioning the lens in the right spot for optimal focus often meant accidentally disturbing the foliage. In some cases, I lost the drop of water. It would fall off the leaf. Capturing a set of useable images was an exercise in patience with much trial and error.

Macro Moments was created by avid macro photographer, Susan Gutterman, to share the beauty of macro photography and learn from others photographers. A new challenge begins on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. The winner’s photo may be featured on her blog and used as the banner in the announcement for the next challenge.