It’s the middle of the month, which means it’s time for another look back to the images I made this month 10 years ago. This month, I have only one image that has “survived” the test of time: a photograph of fallen Autumn leaves surrounding a tree trunk.
Autumn colors never seem to last very long in Arkansas. Sometimes, they can last for a couple of weeks; other times, they may only be around for what seems like just a couple of days before the wind or a storm comes through and knocks them from their branches. You just never know what to expect from one day to the next, so it’s always a good idea to go out early and often.
When I took the short drive to Lonoke, Arkansas, which is only about a 30 minute drive from my house, I had every intention of photographing colorfully leafed trees against the overcast sky. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I quickly discovered I had waited too long. Most of the leaves had dropped from their trees at least several days before and were now lying on the ground brown, torn, and curled up. It didn’t take me very long to decide it was time to call it a day and go home. As I was walking back to my truck, though, I stumbled across this one small scene where the leaves, although fallen, still had some color to them and were generally in pretty good condition.
Fallen Autumn leaves surrounding a tree trunk, Lonoke, Arkansas, December 2014
I couldn’t pass this opportunity up, and my camera immediately came out. It took some time to compose the image. I originally wanted to include the entire tree in the frame, but that would include some unwanted elements: the cloudy, featureless sky, and the road I was standing just a few feet away from.
After a few minutes of moving my tripod around, adjusting my camera, reassessing the composition, and repeating this process several times, I finally got to this image. And, after 10 years, it’s a photograph I still enjoy looking at.
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.