Pictures for Pam, Day 48: Oak Leaf Stuck on Ponderosa Pine Bark

(please view large!) (+8 insets!)

What is your favorite kind of picture to take? Are you drawn to landscapes or street photography? Do you enjoy nature photography of all types or do you prefer city-based themes? Are you a "Jack of all trades" because any type of photography is interesting to you?

For me It's always been macro. Ever since I was a little kid in San Francisco, I've loved discovering tiny things. I used to love walking up our neighborhood street and turning over bricks to see what was underneath. Salamanders, ants, spiders, bugs, slugs and snails, and sometimes even centipedes. Lots of mushrooms, weird fungus and molds, it was all interesting to me. I loved finding the smallest flowers in the cracks of the sidewalk and I would collect a miniature bouquet to present to my mother with an ecstatic, "Mom, I brought you a mouse bouquet!" She loved them and put her tiny flowers into a shot glass and placed it on the kitchen table for all to see. Climbing around Mt. Davidson, which was our backyard, I spent hours exploring the different areas and learning about the countless things that grew there.

Three of the things I love are tiny details, textures and abstracts. As a kid, I would hold a leaf up to my nose and just stare. The wonderful details, textures and abstracts I saw were so beautiful and fascinating to me, but it's hard to tell someone about these things. You have to show them. And still, people could rarely see what I did...that was pretty frustrating.

Discovering macro photography changed everything. For the first time I could finally show everyone exactly what I was looking at! I could zero in on tiny creatures or flowers or I could show the textures of a subject. Abstracts were finally something I could photograph and allow the viewer to ponder and question. And by learning how to use a specialized macro lens, the magic of bokeh can be added into the mix for a magical touch I'd never considered as a child. A new way to explore the world...how cool is that? What adventure! What freedom! Macro photography opens the door to a universe of endless possibilities on a very small scale. That is why it's my favorite kind of photography.

Today's picture is another "caught" leaf, but I think it's pretty special because it requires looking closer. It's also both a texture picture and an abstract because at first it's hard to see what it is.

A few weeks ago, I was wandering around in our lower forest. At one point I looked up and noticed an Oak leaf stuck on the trunk of a Ponderosa pine tree. Did you know that pine trees can have different looking bark? That never occurred to me until I took a good look at our pine trees. Ponderosa pine bark looks like jigsaw puzzle pieces! I know you don't believe me, so please take a look at the insets so I can show you! The leaf in today's picture got stuck on one of the "puzzle pieces"!

Pam, I hope that all is well with you today and that you are happy and comfortable. Give your dogs some pats from me and tell them that they're doing a great job being a good friend to you. I hope they give you lots of good energy and put a smile on your face! I am thinking of you all the time! :)

Explored on 12/27/18, highest placement, #6.