Here's a completely new twist on my photographic style. This came about when I poked my head out the door to check the weather. It was raining steadily, and I noticed a number of leaves had settled in my driveway. This little cluster was in a shallow puddle so I decided to see what I could make of it. This was shot using a 50 mm f2.8L with an EF12 II extension tube. I liked the death and decay feel, certainly appropriate symbolism as we pass from autumn to winter today, and the speckled texture of my asphalt driveway provided a nice background. Still, there was more I wanted to do to change it from a simple shot of some leaves on the driveway.
In post processing, I opted to go with a low key II filter. This effectively lifted the leaves off the driveway and added a very interesting dramatic effect to the background texture. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, and protect highlights. A slight levels adjustment was added in PSE. It's by far one of my more abstract studies, but I find the effect rather pleasing.
