One scene, two takes

From my inaugural time photographing along the Copperfield Nature Trail in northeast Austin on September 22nd come these two photographs of a typically autumnal landscape in this part of Texas. Both images feature the pink flowers of prairie agalinis (Agalinis heterophylla) and the yellow ones of partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata).

The first picture is what we might call a conventional view of the scene, and as a bonus you get to see a wall of giant ragweed plants (Ambrosia trifida) behind the flowers. The second picture shows the same scene from closer up. This more-abstract image has a few of the prairie agalinis flowers and buds in sharp focus against a larger number of out-of-focus partridge pea plants, whose fresh and wilting flowers my camera’s lens turned into amorphous yellow and orange lights while also turning a few of the more-distant agalinis flowers into featureless pink patches.

Same time, same place, same plants, same photographer, same camera and lens pointed in the same direction—yet such different views.

 

 

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman