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Leaf Skeletons

Oak Leaf Skeletons

It’s winter in Maryland, not that you’d know it by the last couple of days, with temperatures in the upper 50’s (F) a few days ago. This warm period was preceded by extremely cold days that truly said winter was here. With these dramatic changes in temperature has come an amazing decomposition of leaf litter. Leaves that a few weeks ago were in one piece are now in tatters and the smell of fresh earth — due in part to actinomycetes bacteria — permeates the forests and glens.

It was on a recent hike through a nearby forest that I start to see the hidden beauty in the rot, especially on oak leaves. Veins, holes, insect nibbles, and all manner of other insult left these leaves with a mesmerizing pattern and texture that simply begged to be captured in an image. I gathered a few dozen, came back to my studio, picked out several that had unusual patterns or symmetry, and went about photographing them as high key photographs.

I’ve chosen three as representative of my latest endeavor, presented here in this blog. Enjoy, and do please leave a comment. I read all of them. Thanks.

Note: I am revamping the Robert Belas Photography website to improve navigation, better and more narrowly define galleries, and update all galleries with photos that have been posted in my blog, but not added to a specific gallery. During this process, you may find an occasional 404 (link missing) or similar error most likely caused by me. So, please send word via email if you encounter problems. I think you’ll like the end result and the new and improved Robert Belas Photography webpages. Thank you for your patience.

Hi! I'm a fine art photographer living in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Thank you for reading my blog.

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