Every landscape has its unique beauty, but I have always found autumn scenes most spectacular. I am fortunate to live in an area of North America where seasonal changes are constant and have easy access to photographic opportunities to record each one. From the expansive view of a hillside right down to what is underfoot, fall offers an amazing array of colors.
I took this photo in my neighborhood, where fallen leaves seem to resemble a living kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope’s meaning—both literal and symbolic—ties neatly to this scene. Scattered leaves of maples, oaks, alders, and other species create overlapping bursts of red, orange, gold, mauve, and brown, all on a canvas of green. As the wind rustles through the crisp foliage, the arrangement shifts, mirroring the turning and changing of images seen through a kaleidoscope. And when light catches the dewy surfaces, it sends up small highlights of each variation in color.
Close up, the veins and jagged edges of the leaves form intricate patterns that spin into new designs with every slight change of viewpoint, revealing that even small parts rearranged can yield an infinite variety of scenes. This mosaic of color is transient and constantly refigured by both the wind and the sunlight, showing that, even in change and impermanence, there is beauty to be discovered.
