Theme 1: Autumn Final Images and Why?

Having wittled it down to the final 10 shots I feel that this collection not only gives an insight to the many autumn colours but also focuses on the detail of the plants and leaves at this time of year.

I love the detail in the leaves of this plant and composed the shot to maximise this using a small aperture to blur the background making the detail the main focus. The lighting when taking the shot couldn't have been better with no harsh sunlight a cloudy day helped ensure perfect exposure.

Despite having taken shots in this area with and without the tree in view I decided to choose this shot as not only does it show all the great colour contrasts of the autumn leaves but the bark of the tree adds texture and pattern to the shot, making it more interesting to look at.  It also creates a scene as well of where the leaves have come from.

I liked how this tree was so imposing in the composition and how the sunlight is breaking through the many branches creating pockets of sunlight and shadows on the autumn leaves on the ground.

This caught my eye and I had to capture it, to me it was like the ivy was holding on to the last leaves of Autumn and the contrast of colour on the grey really stood out.

Another hidden gem of Autumn lying in the undergrowth along with the fallen leaves.  I liked the sunlight coming through the branches of the trees above giving just enough light to spotlight the chestnut as the focal point  and highlighting its spikey exterior adding texture to the shot.

One of the first things I think about when I think about Autumn is kicking the fallen leaves so this just had to be one of my shots.  After a few attenpts and trying different shutter speeds to get the best effect here is my final shot.  A slow shutter speed helps show movement in the leaves and from thefoot kicking them.

This was a real find, the detail of the toadstool as the main focal point is great bringing pattern and texture to the shot.  To add interest the toadstool was offset in the image so as not to make the composition too formal. 

As discussed in the comparison of this image alongside Charles Binns this was a shot I knew I wanted to recreate and I was lucky that the weather with the sun shining bright enabled me to capture the fantastic colours of the leaves with the sun glaring through.

Again a great little find growing out from behind an old stone wall and despite not showing Autumn as regards colours this is a plant of the season and I love the soft blossom and contrast of it against the green grass and blue sky.

A common site during the Autumn months and great as a focal point when composing a shot, the contrast of the green against the fallen brown leaves and the nut inside, with the spikey exterior adding texture to the image.