#00358, Floating Leaves

I'd been wandering around looking for image possibilities with just a viewfinder when I saw these leaves. There was a current in the pool caused by the thermal spring, and I was scared that the leaves would break away and drift down stream.

While I was focusing the leaves did in fact dislodge from the bank, moved a bit (pivoting on the left leaf), then stop.

I quickly took a light meter reading and made the exposure, seconds later the leaves broke away from the bank and floated downstream.

This is quite a close-up photo and in the rush I had forgotten to allow for the bellows extension. As such the negative is a bit underexposed but still produces a nice result.

As is often the case there is a lot more to this photo than immediately meets the eye. There's many interesting meniscus lines formed where water meets leaf and bank, and there's some water skimmer-like insects sitting on the surface of the pool.

On the left of the photo you can see right down to the bottom of the pool several feet below, whereas to the right you can see in the opposite direction because the overhanging trees are reflected on the pool's surface.

Litchfield National Park, NT

Technical: Tachihara 5x4 field camera, 210mm, 4s, f64
Keywords: leaves pool stream bank leaf meniscus water skimmer insects trees litchfield national park nt pan large black white landscape lakes ponds flora lichfield reflection