Delight in Light

Since taking up photography in late April, I seem to have had an opthalmological operation. It felt as if I had my optic nerve replaced or completely rewired. The cones and rods at the back of my irises seemed suddenly to have become more sensitive to light and shade and to contrasts in colors and forms.  Sometimes I felt that I had never been to this world before. Suddenly, everything which enters the lens of my camera  becomes an object of ceaseless wonder. I began to notice things which I might have seen perhaps hundreds of time before as if I had never previously laid eyes on them.  Somehow the world seems to have changed magically right in front of my eyes! I'm so glad that it has become a much more interesting world. Now I'm never out without a camera and an extra battery in my shoulder bag.

Three of the things which now fascinate me are the form, the color and the texture of leaves. I don't mean any "special" leaves, anything "fancy". Just perfectly "plain",  "ordinary", "simple" and otherwise unremarakble leaves. They may be the leaves of trees and shrubs that we see around Hong Kong every day. Under the right conditions, they would take on a beauty which you'd never suspect could be there.  Is that not amazing? And of course the proverbial beauty of flowers too!

Like the contrast between the roughness and toughness of  the branches as they cling for
support against the wooden frame to the right and the different shades of green from left to right.

Unexpected patterns formed on two leaves by the shadows of others closer to the sun than they.

Multiple shadows of leaves on the surfaces of their brethren.

More shadows of leaves upon others broken by tougher dark browns of the horizontal lines of
the thicker or thinner creeper branches.

Different shades of brown and greens of the branches, contrasting with the variegated greens of
the networks of green veins of the leaves.

Like the network of veins, the slightly "sunburnt" edges  of the leaves and the translucence of
the leaves.

Different shades of green and shadows of leaves and branches.

Branches cutting unceremoniously across the sea of greens.

A close-up of the above. Like the kaleidoscopic shapes and colors.




An even closer close-up! I like the greens and yellows.





So many brothers and sisters. I suppose I must be content to be just one of them!





The vines clinging to the side and twisting around each other for better support.

Life fighting to express itself  through its chlorophyll despite the "casualties" caused by worms?





I may be a little burnt around my periphery and may have sustained two attacks from those
hateful worms but I'm so glad I've survived!





See how healthy and strong I am?






A "natural" casualty from age?

Fighting for attention from bees and butterflies with its purples and whites.

Like the whites embroidering the edges of the blue/purple petals.

Little white flowers silently telling the bigger purple flowers: we want attention too!
 

The little flowers saying quietly: we may like the sun but we don't want to get sunburnt!

A symphony of colors and forms.

Peaceful co-existence?

We're not ashamed of who or what we are!