Steven Bourelle Digital Arts

I’m currently going through a faze where I’m pushing my creativity a little more. I’m trying some new things with my photography and walking the fine line of my comfort zone. Some of my experiments are working well and others are stinking the place up. But the key is, I’m trying new things and growing as an artist in the process. This image is a good example of that.

The other day I noticed that the leaves on one of our Lilac bushes had started to change colors. Since the wind was blowing and I couldn’t shoot the leaves outside, I picked a few and brought them into the house to play around with.

I tried a few different closeup ideas but wasn’t satisfied with any of the pictures. I was starting to get frustrated and thought about giving up on this idea. That’s when I picked up one of the leaves and held it to a window. Wow! I was blown away by all the detail that came out . The back lit leaf was exactly what I was looking for.  So I got a roll of Scotch Tape and taped the leaf to the window and started shooting away.  Before I was done, I had taped up three different leaves and tried many different compositions and ideas. Of all the pictures, this one is my favorite. The detail is a little hard to see at this resolution, but in the full resolution image the detail is amazing.

What’s most interesting to me about this experience is that I was able to come up with a way to capture the beauty of this leaf. Now taping a leaf to a window might not be an original idea, I’m sure others have done this before me, but it’s an original idea to me. I’ve always been an outdoor nature photographer, not an indoor one. But by thinking outside of the lines, pushing my comfort zone a little and experimenting with a new idea, I feel my creativity has grown and the possibilities of showing nature’s beauty have grown too.

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