words of old
whispered today by wind
in the reeds
~Shohaku
As I was stumbling around Photoshop, I found myself remembering a cartoon which pictured an overwhelmed student with a raised arm and the caption, “may I be excused, my head is full?”
That memory was followed by the remembrance of a meeting with a clinical supervisor who spoke of the importance of going back to the basics…so I exited Photoshop, found the original RAW image, and entered the realm of Lightroom…to begin again with the basic adjustment layers of:
- highlights,
- brightness,
- shadows,
- darkness,
- hue,
- saturation,
- sharpness, and
- black and white
I then did some reading about basic composition as a means to explore: To crop or not to crop?
As I pondered this question, it came to me that cropping this image would narrow the context…the story…as well as the invitation to imagine the various elements that came together to create this unique image—which, I believe cannot be recreated.
It is the various elements within this image that invites me to contemplate: How did this leaf come to embrace the grass? Or, was it the grass that embraced the leaf?
The evasiveness to my questions is reflected in the image’s various degrees of blurriness/sharpness and light/shadow and thus I find myself also wondering: Was the leaf captured? Imprisoned? Or, was it saved?
Jump on over to Robyn’s to join the One Four Challenge
The first three of December’s One Four Challenge
a meditative journey 
Interesting images.
thank you for taking the time to visit
Nice BW treatment, highlights the delicate detail in the grasses nicely. The highlights are not so bright which also helps balance out the image tones. Very profound musings, its all about the basics, I agree 🙂
thank you…I find it is so easy to get overwhelmed by the possibilities offered in Photoshop…too much candy 🙂
Less is more 🙂
Liked your writing and musings, as well as your softer and vignetted interpretation this week – my favourite. The only dark touch is that leaf stopped in her drift by the gentle grasses. Very nicely done, Brenda!
thank you…the leaf’s journey alongside the wind, the gentle grass…”stopped in her drift” yes:)
This week is my favorite! Highlights in the right places, beautiful vignette and the softer warm BW tones keep beautifully with the delicate nature of this image. Lovely.
thank you Carrie…
I love the dramatic B and W for this week…
thank you…I’m with you on this one 🙂
Awesome! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome
I’m going to go against the tide as week 1 is my favourite…probably because it would match our walls so well,
going for the interior decorating…always a great idea 🙂
I & 4 both are beautiful images and for different reasons, the warmth of no. 1 and the clarity that B&W brings to no. 4
thank you … I didn’t think of these two concepts, especially warmth.
Chicken or the egg? Amazing how profound questions can come from simple images if we choose to notice them. Thanks for calling attention to the embrace – it makes the photo all the more lovely.
thank you…it has invited me to further ponder the dynamics of embrace within relationships 🙂
They are all so good! 🙂
thank you…:)
I am a Sucker for black and white and it works so well with the leaf isolated against the brighter tones of the grass.
I find that I tend more towards b&w images…as they seem to be more emotive
Hello Brenda – finally made it here 😀
This week’s image is my favourite – using the BW has created a purity that I really like.
Ive so enjoyed your thoughts and research on this week’s process. A wonderfully creative journey and a beautiful end result.
Wishing you a Happy New Year 😀🎉🎈
Good day Robyn,
Hope you are keeping cool while I am invested in keeping warm as it is snowing and the temp is falling. Thank you for your feedback…I also like this week’s image. May you have a New Year filled with peace and love.
Hi Brenda – yes we are having steamy hot days here, while you have snow. Stay warm x
Wishing you a New year filled with the same 😀