Thanks to you all for the kind comments. I scooped a bowl full of fallen leaves from my yard and sat down to look through them. Sounds kind of pathetic, but when you take the time to look at them, they each have their own character- how they've curled as they dried, the different shades of brown, and so on.
John, the wooden bowl I've used these past couple years in my still lifes was made by my wife in one of her school shop classes. It has a lot a character and is all the more special because she made it.
James, I used an Arca-Swiss monorail camera and a Rodenstock Sironar 150mm lens. This is really a macro photograph, since it is actually large than 1:1. Single softbox light source was set up to the side and I used a white mat board as a reflector.
love those tones and the light. Your intelligence as a photographer never stops to amaze me. You find beauty in the everyday subjects around us, which is a great quality to be in posession of.
Thank you, Thom. I sincerely appreciate your support and encouragement. I photograph for the love of it, and one of the greatest rewards for me is hearing that others come away with something of value from my work.