Green and yellow leaves are turning red, brown, then to golden hues that flash and sparkle in the sunlight. The mysteries of autumn’s magic-show reveals itself
Last night there was full moon. And as the season changes, the moon’s phases signal new weather to come. Nature prepares itself for cold snaps, and frosty grounds.
In spite of the golden colour, sunlight, fairytales, and moonbeams, I kept my mind in monochrome, and could only compose what I saw in the forms of light and darkness.
Below, I took this street shot as I was waiting for a wide shot of groups passing through the columns of Brandenburg Gate. Somehow, this person got into the corner. I have no idea what they are doing. Tripping, picking up a penny, or maybe, they’re just like walking on all fours.
I took about six shots, it was during post processing that I noticed her. It creates a feeling of intrigue.
I hadn’t taken a walk for days, so I think this short trip around town with my camera was like a warming up my soul and eye connection. I like simple motifs. Below, the man standing, looking, still wearing summer clothing, intrigued me.
He seemed to be sopping up the sunshine. The evening drawing in, the sun sliding behind the trees, and the long sharp shadows forming across the streets made me want to capture the mood of a solitary figure enjoying the autumn sunshine.
The sounds of the city, the pitch of voices as people laugh, shout, or pass, is silenced by camera. When a person stops amongst the din of city life, feels the sun on their back, and has nowhere to hurry to, I’m sure they don’t hear the noise either.
Sometimes, my eyes lock into strange shapes, formations, and odd structures. It’s then that the artist in me goes to work, and starts to build compositions.
Below, the brightly sunlit wall, and the frame leaning against it, stopped me in my tracks. I took several photos, adjusted each time with my feet, and I think this one below shows something of what I was looking at. A pleasant combination of structures, shadows, and patterned holes on a wall.
Sometimes, simple structures, and not the object’s inherent value, create feeling and mystery in a photograph.
Each season motivates people to go out and experience the atmosphere in their city. The change from summer to autumn is always enjoyable. You are witnessing how nature gracefully changes over a period of a few days.
Spring shows us that all is well with nature, the flowers bloom, and the trees fill their branches with leaves. Humans dig and plant roots for food, knowing that the work will pay off.
Autumn comes, and warns us to wrap up, protect our bodies from the coming cold, and animals retire to their burrows, fragile petals fold and drop, leaves curl. We see the beauty in this process and know that it’s all part of the cycle of life. Falling, growing, renewing itself in the most elegant ways.
Use your eyes to see nature, and not an app on a mobile phone. Look out the window, walk and experience each passing day. Make your own mind up about how nature is doing, then you contribute to your own happiness by engaging properly with your real world.
Below. The woman walking with her back to the camera, The tree above, already glistening with autumn colours was too much competition for the strong shadows to her right. It works in monochrome. In colour, it looked like a 1970s Kodachrome shot.
She cuts a fine figure, elegant. Her feet lined up into a point, the body, a long oval form, and then those strong, long, sharp shadows that attract the eye.
A glance then I saw the Raven below. Animals fascinate me. At home, I often watch my cats sitting in the window. While they watch the street below, I watch them from behind. Their twitching ears, a slight shift of the head, it’s like watching them think. The raven sat quietly as his companions flew above and created a commotion.
This one seemed to be happy to sit and think for a while. His head moved in the same way that a human does when thinking — I could almost imagine his lower beak jutted out, one claw resting on his chin, contemplating the future.
The evening sun, soft shadows from a large building 150 metres to the left, and those interesting square blocks that create solidity with their harsh change in light and shadow, make for an interesting composition.
The raven brings life into the photo. Its form interesting to look at, the lack of beak and face gives us mysteries to ponder.
Finally, below; three people out for a walk, being together. They look happy. I was close enough to take the shot and pick up finer details that a longer shot would’ve missed.
It was my last shot before heading home to a warm cat and a hot meal. The sun was over my left shoulder, the shadows were as long as railroad tracks, and it would be dark in twenty minutes.
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