Thursday, September 30, 2010

Silhouette of grass backlit in the evening sun...an image of autumn.

A ripe seed head hangs heavy on this stem of grass in the high meadow of VOA Park. Always a symbol of autumn and the bounty of harvest, images of grasses are soothing. Whether it is the psychology of harvest or simply the aesthetics of its sculptural form, we're never immune to the allure of its simple beauty.

The silhouette of grass backlit in the evening sun evokes feelings of security and peace.

The shadows in the background enhance the play of sun on the ripe seed head, and we are struck by the beauty of contrast.

As summer departs, grasses that have gone to seed bend and sway in fields, meadows and along roadsides. The sight pulls us deeper into autumn and helps us separate from the easiness of summer.

Soothing and retrospective, autumn lets us marvel at nature in one final hurrah, because as greens give way to golds, we know a leaner and sharper season is on the way where golds drain to grays and color blanches before our eyes.

(Of course, it's not all bad! Crystal whites and sparkling snowflakes add a bit of spice--if we're lucky!)

22 comments:

Grizz………… said...

Hey—you know I'd like these grassheads, right? And a marvelous job, too. Love the backgrounds.

Between you and me, when I shoot grassheads, I'm never quite sure how to frame or crop…vertical, horizontal, too much negative space, too little, subject pulling the eye the wrong way? Sheeesh!

grammie g said...

Hi Kelley...This goes to show how simplicity is elegance!!
Beautiful!!

Louise said...

Grass is so very elemental, somehow. You have done such a lovely job of shooting those stalks against a warm gold background.

Wanda..... said...

Your Autumn grass photos are excellent, Kelly...just like your painted Winter Robin...I believe the third one down is my most favorite of the grass shots.

Jenny said...

Beau ti ful! Warm and golden and as you said, a lovely gentle transition from vivid summer to frigid winter scenes.

holdingmoments said...

Beautiful shots Kelly. Love the lighting in these.

Laure Ferlita said...

Such simplicity. Hard to believe how eloquent the images are!

Beautiful shots! Love the abstraction of the background to play off the macro of the grass.

Tammie Lee said...

quite lovely and perfect for celebrating the turning of seasons~

Roy said...

Great shots, Kelly! Nice bokeh on these. Looks like you're playing with the macro lens again. Heh, heh! Nothing else could get that dead flat DOF.

Unknown said...

Not ready! I'm not ready!

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Lovely Autumn tones, love the bokeh and back-lighting!!

Montanagirl said...

Stunning fall shots! Love the muted, dappled background in these. I LOVE Fall.

Out on the prairie said...

It is hard to slow the progression, it just keeps changing. Beautiful shots and thoughts. Found some artist trading cards yesterday in white and tan.

Johnny Nutcase said...

beautiful compositions, and that light is so inviting and nice!

Chris said...

That's a beautiful set of pictures Kelly, quite original... I love that

ShySongbird said...

Lovely photos, Kelly. Autumn has arrived too soon for me!

Anonymous said...

I like your photos and the grass is a favorite.

Elaine said...

I am always struck when I see the play of light in the tall grasses. You captured the beauty supurbly.

Hilke Breder said...

Kelly, these are beautiful peaceful images, worthy of framing. You have a great eye for the secret wonders of nature.

Anonymous said...

So much atmosphere. You captured the spirit of autumn.

Kelly said...

...Grizz.....I know exactly what you mean. How to position the grass in the finder. I ended up shooting it from many angles and chose the shots that felt most soothing. As I said before...I do most of my photography using "The Force."

thanks everyone...I love evening light because it really creates special sights. In the afternoon, the grass was beautiful, but light it from behind, and it takes my breath away!

Andy said...

I like these grass photos especially when the light strikes just so. Very nice photos! And the previous post of your bird painting is excellent too!