On this early autumn day in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, there was precious little autumn color to savor. Only a few Bigtooth Aspens glowed against the green forest, and these had but a few bright leaves.

I picked a few leaves from the trees and played with them absentmindedly, at first disappointed in the lack of spectacular vistas of color. Then I noticed the patterns created where the leaves overlapped, and my creative juices started flowing. This progressively-colored leaf arrangement struck me only after I had photographed a few random combinations of colors. This image presents a dynamic tension between the human need for order and the chaotic randomness of nature. Too much order is boring, but too much chaos is threatening.

The colorful transition in this image is a photographic metaphor for time passing in the seasons of the year...and the seasons of our lives.

Lee Rentz