Leaves Turning (Posterized)

Leaves Turning (Posterized)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

This image began with a photograph that I took last weekend at Long Hill Gardens (here in Beverly, MA). There are lots of different kinds of trees to see there, and they all change colors at their own pace. Some trees have already lost their all their leaves, some are changing colors, and some are still green. This shrub is often just part of the background at Long Hill, but this time I noticed it because of the way that it is changing colors. The leaves are changing from green to almost purple, and with sun and shadow playing on the leaves in the late afternoon, this seemed like a natural commentary on the passage of time. Later when I transferred the image into the computer, I noticed that a dried up brown oak leaf was wedged in between some of the leaves. And it was in exactly the wrong place, too. So I opened the image in Painter and used some digital pastel to draw into the photo and cover up the dead leaf. Once I had done that, I could then crop the image to get this composition. Then I posterized it just a little bit.