Cattail leaf turning yellow
Another common water-loving plant not only in central Texas but over much of the world is the cattail. I photographed this yellowing section near the tip of a cattail leaf when I walked along a bit of the Greater Lake Creek Trail in Round Rock on August 1.
If you’re interested in photography as a craft, you’ll find that points 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 18 in About My Techniques are relevant to this photograph. That’s a lot of points for such a simple picture.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Simplicity, very good, Steven!
bentehaarstad
September 2, 2013 at 6:46 AM
I’m glad you like it, Bente. The simple truth is that simplicity can be a virtue.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 8:30 AM
Sometimes the simplest compositions are the best. I like the color, symmetry, and the very fine lines running the length.
Jim in IA
September 2, 2013 at 6:48 AM
You in Iowa and Bente in Norway had the same reaction almost simultaneously. The geometrical elements of parallel lines and symmetry that you mention are important for me as well.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 8:38 AM
Photographers and wildflower lovers alike – follow the yellow leaf road!
shoreacres
September 2, 2013 at 7:04 AM
In the slanted leaf, together with the top and bottom of the picture frame, I see the letter Z. You’ve added a vowel to get back to Oz.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 8:42 AM
Lovely: the simplicity. Two minds think–see my post today.
lensandpensbysally
September 2, 2013 at 7:57 AM
Ah, great minds, Sally: you’re the third person this morning to comment here about simplicity. And what a coincidence that your third picture today should show similarly lined blades of grass.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 8:48 AM
That’s a great abstract picture. Reminds me of a flag!
Heyjude
September 2, 2013 at 8:07 AM
Long may the flag of abstraction fly!
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 8:48 AM
Steve……this is just such a great example of simple and peaceful. Good feng shui…..en theos…jim
Developing A New Image
September 2, 2013 at 9:01 AM
A fourth vote for simplicity, and an international one—feng shui (Chinese) and en theos (Greek) coming from and to Texas.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 9:40 AM
This is about as simple as it gets and in a very positive way, Steve. Strong lines, strong color contrast, fine detail and good composition.
Steve Gingold
September 2, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Let’s say positively simple, then.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 4:43 PM
Simply splendid.
kathryningrid
September 2, 2013 at 3:09 PM
Simply splendid: those are my initials.
Steve Schwartzman
September 2, 2013 at 4:44 PM
A very simple picture, but a pure abstract too. I love it, Steve
LensScaper
September 3, 2013 at 1:00 PM
I’m always glad to encounter another lover of abstraction, Andy. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Steve Schwartzman
September 3, 2013 at 3:56 PM
[…] Damselflies often hang out around bodies of water. That was true of the one you saw last time, and you could even say it was true of this pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata, that I found nearby at the edge of a pond on the Mueller prairie restoration on August 30. The yellow-orange in the background was from a pickerelweed leaf that had become discolored; in fact I’ve noticed that the leaves of several plants that live at the water’s edge have a tendency to turn warm colors, as you can see from photographs in which I’ve shown a yellowing leaf of a bulrush and a cattail. […]
Pickerelweed flowers | Portraits of Wildflowers
October 5, 2013 at 6:00 AM