Two days of steady rain left me discouraged. I was trying to photograph autumn colors in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but the days were soggy; the clouds low and pewter-gray. In late afternoon on the second day the rain let up, and I was able to venture outside without soaking my camera gear.

Raindrops clung to every twig in the stillness of the abating storm. Then it struck me: a photograph of raindrops in front of autumn color could work as a fresh, creative composition. In taking the picture, I liked the wash of yellow behind the twigs, so I kept a shallow depth of field. This threw many of the raindrops out of focus, creating the pattern of white disks across the photograph.

But enough of technique: what I really like is the sense of layered twig and raindrop patterns across the field of soft color. Looking through the lens at the time I took the picture, I liked the effect so much that I was wishing for more rain.

Lee Rentz