I set out the door this morning on a quest for perfect autumn leaves. (Why? For "Leaf Portraits" of course!)
But over and over again, I found myself falling in love with the "imperfect" ones.
Leaf after leaf was a little crinkled, a bit torn, or quite curled up at the edges.
Far too often, I think we strive for the smooth,
the flawless,
the closest we can get to perfection.
And yet, it's the quiet things that seem to say,
"Here I am; my flaws are etched upon my skin.
Will you take me anyway?"
I came indoors with an exquisite pile of leaves,
each one of them imperfect in its own way,
and yet:
Just Right.
Pretty things sometimes (often) have little holes or wrinkles,
a tear here and there.
Fall reminds us there is beauty to be found even in our own scars.
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Before you go...
LAST CHANCE 'til 2018: I'll be shelving my first (and most popular) e-course, How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You, for a couple of years while I concentrate on some new online courses in 2017, so if this nature photography course has been calling out your name, sign up for the October 2016 session that's right around the corner! No fancy camera is necessary; you can even use your phone's camera. To treat yourself or a friend, click here for all the details and registration. (If you're on Instagram, check out my profile at @joy_sussman for a discount on the course through 10/10/2016 only.)
© 2016 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com LLC. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
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