Hindsight

I almost love this image. I am a big fan of chaotic pattern shots like this. Forest floor mayhem, I like to call it. It is fun to look for patterns and textures on the woodland floor. The color of a leaf, the patterns in the decay, the contrast, or the complementary shapes of the different leaves. These seemingly simple things can make up some fascinating and intricate images. It is incredible for me to think about how this jumbled mess on the ground can randomly create such interesting patterns, shapes, and colors.

That is certainly what I was trying to achieve with this image. And I very nearly did it. What initially caught my attention in this scene was the ground cedar. It was that contrast of color, the fresh greens, and the browns and yellows that caught my eye and made me look closer. While I was trying to decide on an image that would incorporate the ground cedar and the decayed leaves, I found a row of three leaves. They were great, just lying on top of each other, in a perfect row. This is what I decided to photograph.

The problem is that I hadn’t let go of the idea of incorporating the ground cedar into the image. It was what drew me in initially, but now that I had found these three leaves, the fresh green plant was no longer the subject. But I did not think it through; there was one bit of the ground cedar poking up into the frame, and I thought (at the time) it was a nice contrast. So I left it in the image.

Now, once I have stepped away and am no longer caught up in the moment, I no longer like the green in this image. I think it detracts from the leaves. I could have easily held the plant back with my hand, keeping it out of frame without harming it, and I wish I had. I wish I had at least thought of giving myself the option—one with and one without.  But you know what they say, “hindsight is 20/20”. It was the fresh green that drew me in, and I was not open to the possibility of anything else at the moment. 

And while this image is not a complete failure (I don’t think), it is not as good as it could have been. The moral of the story is to remain open to possibilities and be prepared to adapt.  What do you think? Is the green ground cedar a distraction or not?