Autumn Shade

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." 
~ Albert Camus

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A few months ago (in July), I shared an image I called Evening Shade.  It was an in-camera abstract ICM (intentional camera movement) image, using a vertical movement to create a blurred effect of the trees, while still rendering them recognizable as trees.  Evening Shade has been one of the most popular and most 'liked' images I've created to date. 

Autumn Shade is a new image, of the same trees, using the same in-camera ICM technique, I captured toward the end of October to represent the seasonal change.  Where Evening Shade showed the scene in all of its green summer splendor, Autumn Shade reveals more the oranges, reds, and yellows of the leaves, as they change color before retiring for winter.  

These are some of my favorite trees to shoot.  I probably have hundreds of ICM images of these trees!  I can hardly walk past them without spending at least a few minutes shooting and creating with them.  They stand in the county conservation area - Pollmiller Park - near my home in southeast Iowa.  I'm lucky enough to have this natural area essentially right at my back doorstep.  When I'm not out exploring and photographing other natural environments that I have to drive to, I'm spending quiet time at Pollmiller Park walking with my dog and my camera.

My vision for creating these kinds of blurred and abstract images is to encourage and inspire people to 'see' the world differently and to capture more the essence of the landscape rather than the kind of literal translation traditional landscape images convey.  

A good friend, Hamid, recently told me he sees my images as like being in a dream...like swimming in the sky to find the essence of life.  I love this romantic vision of my art, and it really touches me to know my images can have that kind of effect on someone. 

Hamid does really amazing, emotional, and poignant work as a photographer and artist himself, creating powerful images depicting forgotten fragments of time and place through photo-montages that speak to the residues of history in Iran.  I would love for you to have a look at the work he does on his website, at Hamid Tabaei.

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts, comments, and feedback, so please feel free to leave a comment below, and please also feel free to share the page link if you think others might appreciate and enjoy the work I do. 

To learn more about the intentional camera movement technique and more of my thoughts about the creative process, I offer a 45-minute video tutorial on my YouTube channel here - Landscapes Reimagined ICM Tutorial.

I also offer a free pdf download of the tutorial by signing up for the mailing list on my website here - StephJohnPhoto.
 

To purchase a print of this image, click here - Autumn Shade - for print sizing/pricing information, as well as how to order.