It's All About the Light (and of course the Leaves)

post from Barbara's Garden Chronicles on 03 November 2009 09:56:00 AM. © Barbara's Garden Chronicles

I swear that these wonderful leaves are going to be my photographic downfall. I've become a leaf groupie taking photos I never would if they were just utterly boringly green. I've thrown composition, lighting and the most important reason to take a photo - "What is this picture really about?" out the window - just because the colours are pretty.

Case in point - this is my front porch establishing shot. I've stood out in blizzards, 30C, rain and the most blissfully beautiful days in the world and taken this shot, just to show what things are like in the garden. This was yesterday, look at that light....

Look at how much better the first one is because I took it when the light was better. I'm almost certain that if the photograph is taken during dazzling good light, the leaves needing raking are far less apparent.

Yes, it's pretty and yellow, and it's nice grass....but I certainly didn't work too hard for this shot.

More colours and less composition. The home owner has done my work by providing an interesting combination and garden design.

This shot taken today - definitely eye-bleedingly beautiful. Light + Leaves.

Hmmmmm, Leaves - Light shows how much better you can make a shot when you wait for the right light.

My garden chores have really started to pile up. Sadly, I'm just going to have to murder some of my tropicals - have you ever seen such an infestation of spider mite? There's no way I can bring in anything that's been in pots near this one and risk infection of my houseplants.
The Solanum laciniatum looking positively French provincial standing next to the Eupatorium coelestinum.

Now, here is a combo that is OK during the growing season, but look how great their colours are together - H. quercifolia and Calycanthus florida (bright yellow).

Early on Sunday morning - wasn't that extra hour divine - won't be too long before that long slushy pile of leaves is replaced with crusty piles of snow....

One of the first trees to be completely bare down by the lake.

This is a grocery store Easter Hydrangea that didn't produce flowers for the first time in years. Very cool the way the stems are changing colour at different rates.

So lovely two days ago, so yucky today.

I've probably got a week before I have to cut back stuff here. I like to leave as much as I can so I have something to see from the back window.

Ah yes, just had to have a picture of our new addition - Bart from the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA. He's slightly miffed that he's on a rope and can't get into Barbara's Squirrel and Chipmunk sanctuary. (No fears Bart, when the bulbs go in, I'm giving you a longer rope.)

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