Yesterday I stood under this tree looking for a pattern in the gold leaves and dark branches. I must have spent an hour looking up leaves against the sky, in the Cathedral of the Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii.
Gold leaves of California Black Oak silhouette against white sky.
I have learned to see in two dimensions, fine for photography, but the camera image sometimes frustrates me in that it is so sharp and detailed, much finer than a brush. My camera is great at capturing fine lines and detail, but what I really like is its ability to capture subtle colors that I can manipulate in the Adobe Camera Raw. It is far, far superior to the JPEG’s I get from my camera phone, and well worth lugging when I have any intention at all of creating art, such as yesterday when I set off on my morning walk, inspired by the change of season and first rains to study the Oaks.
So, knowing I have some great filters that I can use in Photoshop in my post production, that can change those fine lines into brushstrokes, I studied the images I saw in front of me as I walked on Pinheiro Ridge in Rush Creek Open Space across the street.
I found myself staring intently at the leaves against the sky wondering what Jackson Pollock would see. I think I came away with something more like David Hockney, and once I got back into the office, down off the ridge back in civilization, I played the whole rest of the day yesterday and into the evening with these: Oak Leaves After the First Rain.
Before and After Slider
Can’t wait to see this enlarged as a large print.
Longer post, Oaks after First Rain, is available to members of the Learning Center with many more photos of the Oaks. Login or Join.
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