I put colors in quotes because the ‘colors’ and majesty of the American Sycamore tree lay hidden beneath the monochromatic fall colors of the leaves. When you think fall colors, brilliant yellows, reds and oranges come to mind. The American Sycamore’s leaves are drab in comparison.
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Have a look at the lovely patterns created by the unique bark of the tree, the crisp shadows of the out of focus leaves and the shadows cast by the branches themselves. I like the play of light and shadow and the rich mid-tones (say thank you to the Ilford FP4+ film I used for this photo). When you see past the obvious, this tree rewards you with it’s own brand of fall color.
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Here’s another photo of the same tree shot a few days later with my 24mm lens. The first image was taken with my 85mm lens. The leaf canopy has thinned, revealing more of the ‘bones’ of the tree. During the summer months, the foliage conceals much of the tree. As the leaves fall off in the fall, the true colors of the tree are revealed.
When I was a young boy we lived across the street from a large playground. There were no trees on our side of the street, but the other side was lined with majestic mature Sycamore trees, the first trees I knew.
Both photos were taken with my Nikon F3HP in Red Bank Battlefield Park.
Interesting observations, love the tones.
These are lovely.. I’ve looked at them over and over, and I just can’t decide which I prefer.
These are great and bring back wonderful memories.
We had a maple and a sycamore in our front yard. I would always climb the sycamore because it afforded a better view due to the fact that the tree top was higher than the roof on the house!
I really like the 85mm shot because of the details.
I like seeing the detail of the sycamore bark in your first image, and the wonderful DOF and tone of the tree in the second.
Thanks for your continuing encouragement, John (and critical notes are welcome, too). I’m learning, but still struggling with the technical side of photography.
I like the sky in the first shot. It looks like an aura around the trunk and limbs. Great shots, John.
Love the second photograph, you’ve created a unique sunlit pattern!
These images bring back memories of visits with my grandmother. Sycamore trees thrived here and dropped their wonderful seed balls which looked like clove-covered holiday oranges.. How delightful! Am so glad you shared your observations and captures.
Very nice! I love black and white! Hope you are doing well…
Unfortunately, with the ease of digital cameras, monochrome has slipped in popularity, but I think it’s coming back, and ‘real’ film still seems to have a future. There is nice detail in the tree when it is viewed large.
I like the first shot very much. The light is super. I especially like the focus on the bark’s texture with the leaves floating out of focus in the background.