Wayfaring Tree (Digitally Edited and Posterized Photo)

Wayfaring Tree (Digitally Edited and Posterized Photo)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This image began with a photograph that I took today during an afternoon walk at Long Hill Gardens here in Beverly. There is always something to see at Long Hill, and right now, it's the berries! (There are only a few flowers still blooming and most of the leaves are still green.) I noticed this shrub with bunches of bright red berries against leaves that were beginning to change color, so I took a picture. Tonight I transferred the image to the computer. The color and the composition were just what I wanted, right out of the camera. But on the screen I could see that a few of the leaves had been chewed on by insects with no respect for photography. So I opened the photo in Painter and used some digital pastel to patch some holes. I had to draw in some bits of missing leaves. Then I posterized the image, and here it is. I didn't know what kind of shrub this is, but I used Google images to find a match. The Latin name is Vibernum lantana, also known as Wayfaring Tree, which is the name I prefer.