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 Japanese Maple leaves, the eye concentrates on the maple leaves in the foreground, while the leaves and autumn forest behind become washes of beautiful color.

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