h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

bobstafford:

The soft focus background is very subtle, and supports the shape of the leaves. The details of the leaves are excellent, well done.

FWR:

Sasha presents a very clever photo here. At a quick glance one has the impression of a pear growing on the branch. The use of a shallow depth of field (throwing the background out of focus) highlights the shapes. Lovely textures on the leaves too.

I tend to want to identify the type of tree. I guessed mulberry before I saw the other comments. I figured it was some kind of fruit tree, so I wasn't that far off if it was a pear tree.

Lovely! The fragile mystery of leaves, a moment in time, the next shutter click they'd look different 'cos they're in motion even if its a tiny tremble in the breeze. This photo makes me aware of that.

Yet the black and white gives them a leafy something extra which I can't define.

If I could define it it would be more poetic than leafy something extra.

Thanks everyone

Yes, that is true about the photo capturing a moment in time as the breeze changed the scene after I took the picture. I was pleased to get the perfect soft focus background as the leaf was dangling at just the right height for me to zoom in on. The black and white again brings out the textures to give a ‘leafy something extra’ indeed!

I’m not sure what the leaf is - definitely not pear or mulberry, but it was a smallish neat tree in a small garden