A photo assignment

A photo assignment - part 3

My number one photo for 2022 should come as no surprise. It is not technically the best photo I took, but the story and meaning behind the photo make it number one to me.

As documented in my THANKSGIVING post, I took this picture while out hiking at Mount Saint Francis. I didn’t realize at the time I was or had a cardiac event. This might have been my last photo taken. Thankfully, it was not.

I took this photo at 8:45am with my Fujifilm X-T5 and 27mm lens. I took it with a low f-stop of f /2.8 thus providing only a focus area on the leaves.

So why do I like this photo? First, because as mentioned, this will always remind me of what happened that day and the following two days. Next, the leaves remind me of hearts and veins within them. The bottom leaf especially shows some damage and if you look closely, on the bottom right, below the damage, you can see a small ‘vein’ being blocked.

Spiritually speaking, there is the light coming in from the top left, shining on the leaves. As mentioned in my post, it was not my time to go, and that is what I see with those sun beams crossing the photo. I take it as a sign from God.

I have printed this photo, have framed it and it is now hanging in my bedroom. This will be a daily reminder of what might have been. Being alive is a blessing.

I have returned to this spot a few weeks after I took this shot, and noticed the bottom damaged leaf is gone and only the top leaf is hanging on for the duration of its existence. I took the updated shot in black and white as a bonus shot.

These small leaves are at the end of their life cycle. Each day I wake up, I am closer to the end of mine. These pictures and blog will be reminders to not waste time on frivolous things, but to enjoy the beauty of life and the many days I have left on this planet.

Until next time.

Tim

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