AUTUMN HEART

A low late afternoon sun shines through a heart shaped Cottonwood leaf as it sits so lightly on an outside table.
“ABOUT BLACK COTTONWOOD TREES”
The leaves are shiny and dark green in the summer, turning yellow/golden in the fall. They are 6 to 12 centimetres ( 2.4-4.7 inches) long, pale underneath and often marked with brown. They vary from oval to wedge-shaped and have a sharply pointed tip.
Black Cottonwood trees are hardy, straight-trunked trees that have large, sticky, fragrant buds. On the coast, black cottonwoods can reach 50 metres ( 164 ft) tall.
Cottonwood trees require ample moisture and plenty of nutrients to grow well. They favour floodplains and moist upland sites with lots of light. They do not grow well in the shade of other species. It is named cottonwood for the white hairs on mature seed which float through the air like wisps of cotton or snow.
“PHOTO INFORMATION”
Taken on Nov 2/09 at 3:40pm in own back yard. ( South east Vancouver Island) B.C., Canada.
Taken in raw, adobe rgb and aperture priority.
camera; canon 40D
lens; canon EF 100-400 L IS USM lens.
tripod; Manfrotto and joystick head.
Taken at 1/100’s, f/9, + 1/3 EV, 250mm, man col bal 6250 kelvin, iso 100.
histogram adjustment in Lightroom and sharpening via lab mode, duplicate layer, lightness channel, unsharpmask ( amount 25, radius 5, threshold1). No cropping.
AUTUMN HEART belongs to the following groups:
Canada *4/day & Please Review Rules B4 Submitting*, Canadiana - (limit 3/day), Canon DSLR (One Image Per Day & A Canon Camera Must Be In The Description Before It's Accepted), Cee's Fun Artsy Friends, Colour and light, DSLR Users Only - 1/24 - Camera & Lens In Description Please., ImageWriting (2/24), Technical Photography and The Woman Photographer **7 Submissions a week only please** Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters

Lynn Bawden 27 days ago
How beautiful this is and how creative you are, Sandy~Lynn
Sandy Stewart replied 27 days ago
Awe,.....thank you so much Lynn! I’m always in awe with how the sun illuminates leaves ect, especially this time of the year. I was running the dogs when I noticed how this leaf was glowing and how the shadow also created an elongated heart shape. I ran for my camera. By the time I got back out, a light breeze was attempting to spoil me capturing it. lol : )
Sharon Talson 27 days ago
Beautiful light and shot… good eye to find this.
Sandy Stewart replied 27 days ago
Thank you so kindly Sharon! : )
Lynn Bawden 27 days ago
Yu have the artistic eye to see such beauty, Sandy~Lynn
Maureen Maliha 27 days ago
Congratulations! Your work has been featured in
Earth Keepers
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much for so kindly featuring this photo in the “Earth Keepers” group Maureen! : D
Vickie Emms 27 days ago
how cool is this!!!! Beautiful Sandy,,,,,,,,
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
So happy you like this Vickie and thank you so much ! : )
Marvin Collins 27 days ago
I would never have seen this, good eye Sandy, well done and congrats on the feature!!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much Marvin! : )
ilpo laurila 27 days ago
Beautiful capture Sandy.
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much ilpo! : )
Charles Dobbs ... 27 days ago
Very cool!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so much Charles! : )
Hawker 27 days ago
Beautiful in all it’s simplicity, lovely composition Sandy
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much Hawker! : )
Béla Török 27 days ago
Lovely work, dear Sandy!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so kindly Bela! : )
John44 27 days ago
Dear daughter / niece of James Stewart
What a girl you are to come up with a photo like this!
EXCELENTO SenHora A few photo’s back I wrote in my story that a lot of persons complaine not to find subjects.. well I told them what you did do here Sandy.
And this is 100% acording to a rule in Photography .. called: Less is better
Fav and a warm smile from Holland
John
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Awe,....thank you so much John! Yes, I have reminded other photographers about the that same rule of less is better. I learned that rule very quick when I first got into photography. When it comes to judging in competitions this rule becomes important, as judges only have a short time to view each photo and so first impression is very important! It’s amazing what subjects one can find in their own backyard. : )
RakeshSyal 27 days ago
Great capture and POV my sweetheart!!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much RakeshSyal! : )
foppe47 27 days ago
Wow simplicity excellent well done FAV!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much Foppe! : )
Cee Neuner 27 days ago
Beautiful simplicity. Elegant! :D:D
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so much Cee! : )
Pamela Phelps 27 days ago
Stunning capture, the colors are so warm and eco friendly!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so much Pamela! : )
Kathy Reid 26 days ago
Simplicity at its best, great image!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much Kathy! : )
Daniel J. McCa... 26 days ago
Brilliant capture, Sandy! Superbly seen & captured!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so much Daniel! : )
kathy s gillen... 26 days ago
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Awe,.....thank you so very much for the kind feature!!!! : D
Peacefulwarrior 26 days ago
gorgeous image
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so very much Peacefulwarrior! : )
MommyJen 26 days ago
What a great shot!
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so much Mommy Jen! : )
CJTill 26 days ago
Beautifully captured Sandy.
Sandy Stewart replied 26 days ago
Thank you so much Colin! : )
MayJ 26 days ago
Great find and so beautifully composed! Gorgeous warm tones of the heart shaped leaf against the natural textures of the ground!
Sandy Stewart replied 25 days ago
Thank you so kindly May! : )
AnnieSnel 25 days ago
Beautiful image Sandy!!
Sandy Stewart replied 25 days ago
Thank you so much Annie! : )
David Silsbury 25 days ago
Great image Sandy, well done and congratulations on being featured.
David xx
Sandy Stewart replied 25 days ago
Thank you David! xx : )
Curtis Sheppard 20 days ago
Another great capture!
Sandy Stewart replied 17 days ago
Sorry for the long delay in thanking you for your kind compliment! Thank you so much Curtis! : )
kappisan 17 days ago
LOVE THIS ONE TO!:) :)
Sandy Stewart replied 17 days ago
Thank you so muchly!!! : )
shararat 5 days ago
BRILLIANT MARVELOUS…...AWESOME!!!!!!
Sandy Stewart replied 5 days ago
Awe,......thank you so much Shararat! : )