I was photographing a Trumpeter Swan in misty blue dawn light. It was gliding and feeding near the edge of a northern lake, and I wanted to get closer. But, of course, it heard me sneaking through the woods and began loudly trumpeting the intruder's presence while swimming to deeper water. I was left in a dense thicket of shrubby viburnums and young maples near the lakeshore.

Abandoning my wildlife quest, I started playing with my long lens in the forest, seeing if I could make a pleasing composition from the clutter of twigs and leaves. I focused randomly here and there, finally realizing that out-of-focus Red Maple leaves made a wonderful background for the zig-zag shapes of foreground twigs.

So, how does one evaluate a picture like this? By traditional photographic standards it is hopelessly out of focus and lacks a clear subject. Many a photographer would view it as a mistake and toss the slide in the circular file. Thank goodness I didn't, because I love the feeling of an autumn forest that it conveys by less tangible means.

Location: Ottawa National Forest, Michigan

Lee Rentz