A Rat's Eye View of Fallen Leaves

The gorgeous colour mix of decay and the green growth of watered garden beyond

The technique is to lie on the ground and take photographs with the longest telephoto lens you have got. Often the camera is actually resting on the ground but I prefer the slightly more stable and flexible method of putting the camera on a small bag of sand. Using a sandbag really reduces any camera shake, particularly as you press the shutter, and the stability also helps get the exact composition you want. At this level you would need an exceptionally flexible tripod for that to work. Hand-holding the camera is a bit too awkward and therefore hit-and-miss.

The aim is blur, often with a bare minimum in focus. The low angle and telephoto lens produces the effect of heavily blurred foreground and background to the extent that these elements are not really recognisable as leaves at all, just abstract patches of colour. And taking the images early morning or late afternoon when the light is at its best really helps bring out the remarkable range of colours. I live in Thailand and taking advantage of these "golden hours" is particularly important as the sun is far too harsh for it to work most of the day. Unfortunately, the tropical sun moves quickly so it is actually more like a "golden half-hour".

To me, the results present a different world to the one I usually crush underfoot as I lumber around the garden. These photos were all taken in our garden during the Thai dry season when many trees lose their leaves due to the lack of water.

A leaf as a landscape - I love the gulleys running down the side of this mountain

A shy but inquisitive leaf stalk just having a look around

The greying of old age - this was taken in the shade with just a little patch of late sun in the background

Old and wrinkled but proudly erect!

A wave in a choppy sea of leaves

Some leaves are almost too lurid in contrast to their fellows...almost

A good example of how the leaf in focus is really just setting the scene for that lovely background blur

Amongst the golden glow of leafy decay a shoot begins the recycling

Leaves impersonating a clam

My camera has a flip-screen which helps a lot with ground-level photography unless I try portrait orientation where I can't get the screen tilted upwards so have to get my face on the ground. That's why almost all these shots are landscape format except this one which left me with bits of leaves stuck to my cheek

There is great beauty in the decay of aging as imperfections become more apparent and add a layer of character. I like to think that is what is happening to me as I enter my sixties!