by the fence

One thing "fence hunting" brought home to me is that fences are often interesting little microcosms. The fence posts, boards, chain links or railings break up the light in different patterns, often creating interesting shadows or light effects. Leaves, feathers, or other light objects blown around by the wind can get caught on the fence, or, because they are an obstacle to lawnmowers, vegetation by a fence can often get the chance to go through its natural cycle undisturbed, as in the case of this seed head by a park fence. A fence is also always a boundary, so there's a "world" in front of it and a separate one behind it. Here, I took the photo from a sidewalk by the fence, which allowed me to take advantage of the unimpeded light shining on my foreground subject, while the intricate vegetation growing in the park behind the fence dappled the light, creating a variegated background. In the pip the situation is the reverse: I am standing in a garden with tall trees to the left and light shining through the tree canopies catches a fallen leaf trapped in the fence that separates the garden from a paved public area.