As a photographer with a deep love of all things nature, I’ve spent a lot of time photographing leaves and wildflowers and animals. Lately I’ve become obsessed with capturing the essence of nature rather than obsessing over details, much like the impressionists did with painting landscapes starting 150 years ago. Impressionist paintings took ordinary subject matter and emphasized unusual visual angles and an emphasis on capturing beautiful light. In this photograph of leaves, the eye concentrates on the maple leaves in the foreground, while the tree trunk and meadow and leaves behind become washes of beautiful color.

This is actually how the human eye sees: if you look at something close up, everything beyond it goes out of focus. I also believe that in not seeing every detail, there remains a mystery to a photograph that invites a lifetime of viewing.

LOCATION: A Japanese garden in Seattle, Washington State, USA

PRINT INFORMATION: This photograph is printed from a digital file on Japanese Mulberry paper using pigment ink. Matting is done with a thick white cotton rag mat. All materials are archival; designed to last for generations.

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition printed by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.