Drowning Leaves (Artsy)

A Beautiful Death

It feels like everyone’s talking about street photography these days - everything is street photography. On certain popular accounts that share street photos, you’ll even find pictures of cows labeled as street photography.
I’m not really into putting myself in a box, and I think in photography, it doesn’t make much sense to lock yourself into just one of them.
I get bored quickly if I have to keep doing the same thing over and over again, even if I’ve mastered it. That’s why I love that photography lets you explore so many different areas.
You might start with sunsets or landscapes, then move on to macro shots, portraits, flash photography, cars - you name it. For me, I eventually found myself shooting in the streets, kitchens/restaurants, at weddings, and capturing waves and dead leaves.

And this time, it’s all about the leaves.
Dead leaves, to be precise - fallen from trees and scattered in puddles, on sidewalks, in fields, or in the mud. That’s how I started photographing them: on location, out in the streets.
So… does this count as street photography again? Nope, of course not! It’s just photography, I’d say.

This photo is where all the drama began. I shot it in macro mode (while on the job at my regular 9-to-5 in the woods) using a Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Yup, a smartphone. A 2018 smartphone, which still has, in my opinion, the best camera on any phone to date.
40 megapixels, with Leica handling the software. I’m not a pixel-peeper, but just for comparison, my Sony A7 IV has 33 megapixels. Yup, I know - megapixels aren’t everything. Please calm down.

I loved the reflections, the light, the colors, and the texture in this shot. Printed on Photo Rag paper, it looks even better and has such a premium feel to it.
From that moment on, I found myself crouching over random puddles, taking pictures of leaves.

It must be the combination of color, reflections, and texture that kept me going back out throughout the fall. Eventually, I started collecting leaves and tried recreating the scenes at home, using a baking dish. That way, I could stay dry and control the lighting however I wanted.

I filled the dish with dirt from the forest, added water, and got to work.
I kept experimenting, and somehow, the results became more and more artistic.
I’d place the leaves on a black surface, position a glass sheet over them, and spray water or drip paint onto it.
The whole process felt almost meditative, and I really liked the results.

Not everyone’s gonna get it, and that’s fine - it’s not why I do it anyway.
This is more about keeping my creative process alive and not losing my passion for photography by always shooting the same thing.

I had a few of these photos printed big as gallery prints with shadow gap frames, and they turned out amazing.
The prints on Photo Rag paper look fantastic, too.

Here are some close-ups and a mock-up to check out:

I’m curious what you think about the photos. Would you hang something like this on your wall or maybe buy a zine with them? Honestly, I mostly do this for myself, but it’s always nice when others see something in it too.
The photo on the gallery print was even exhibited in our small local gallery, which made me super happy.

I can write a follow up post, where I explain the thoughts behind “A Beautiful Death” with some extra photos, if someone is interested. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments if you want!

Thanks for reading this far.

Bjoern