[vk7hil]

What can one say a bunch of autum leaves

[Markulous]

I'd be tempted to try and concentrate on some object or feature within the shot - preferably at taking the shot stage

Picked the purplish leaf, surrounded by the yellow and placed it in a spot in the frame (vaguely 1/3rd-ish!). Then emphasised that feature. Think I've overcooked it but it gives an idea!



Crop, increased saturation, burn back leaves surrounding the yellow ones, sharpen, border

[Rob Barron]

Sorry vk but you summed this up yourself: it's a bunch of autumn leaves.... not a picture to hold my attention. Marks' is certainly stronger (too strong? is a touch for me) but still doesn't really grab me and make me explore it very much. The colours are stronger and I see where Mark was trying to focus on but the brightness of the leaf a bit lower done is the lightest point and makes me look there first.... and that has a twig in front of it which distracts in itself.

This sort of image certainly has the potential to be an eye-grabber but it does take a lot of forethought in preparing the leaves and twigs, a bit like the way you would think about composing any other still life shot. Some do it superbly well (check out the work of Joe Cornish who has done this sort of thing with leaves, shells, stones and so forth and sold them by the score) but I have to say I have never produced a shot that I would want to put on display personally despite having tried!

So good on you for trying, it doesn't work for me here but I think there is plenty of scope for exploration of this theme and giving it further attempts.

Cheers,
Rob