A low-angle art photograph looking straight up through three prominent birch tree trunks into a canopy of glowing golden-yellow and bright orange autumn leaves. The sky behind the tree branches is a deep, surreal violet-purple, with light flaring brightly from the bottom right corner.
Royal Spray

Beholding Light

July 2026

A low-angle art photograph looking up into a vibrant autumn canopy of maple branches. Bright yellow leaves dominate the center and upper right, with pops of red along the left edge. The background is a intense, vivid turquoise-cyan sky, with strong sunlight glaring brightly in the upper right corner.
Golden Shower

To myself upon beholding light—
Listen to the light’s unfolding—
don’t shade your eyes, but blind
yourself
to hear
more closely—
leaves
like windows lay
themselves
upon your eyes—
light,
heavy
light.

Sunshine through gold and satin
leaves
seethes with
rivulets, and the sweet
sap dripping
down
to me

delights.

Twixt the ever
flowing
autumn
leaves,
stand me and
divinity.

A low-angle art photograph looking up into a vibrant tree canopy filled with brilliant crimson, red, and golden-orange autumn leaves. The foliage fills the upper and left portions of the frame, contrasting against a rich, solid cobalt-blue sky on the right. Bright sunlight flares intensely through the upper-left branches.
Autumn Blessing

In this series, I sought to capture the awe we feel when bathed in sunlight, the feeling small in the presence of something larger than oneself, something divine.

A low-angle art photograph looking straight up through towering trees into a surreal, highly saturated canopy. Crimson red and bright orange maple leaves frame the left, while clusters of hot pink blossoms or leaves and golden-yellow foliage stretch across the right against a deep emerald-teal background sky.
Fall into Spring

The series began when I was snapping photos on a clear fall day. I started with formal composition in mind, but the beauty of the sunlit canopy took over. I angled up to catch as much light and foliage as possible, creating a sense of towering height.

A dramatic low-angle art photograph looking straight up from the base of two thick, dark tree trunks that cross in an X-shape. Overhead, an expansive canopy of vibrant crimson-red and soft pale-yellow maple leaves fills the frame, contrasting against glimpses of a rich, saturated blue sky in the background.
Twisted Canopy 1
A close-up art photograph focusing on a large, bright yellow maple leaf in sharp detail, illuminated from behind by sunlight to highlight its intricate reddish leaf veins. The background features a softly blurred golden-yellow foliage canopy, dark tree branches, and subtle patches of bright blue sky.
Leaf Effect

The flat background highlights the texture and pattern of leaves, which reminded me of artforms that use light and saturated color to highlight botanical or geometric patterns, like stained glass, brocade, mosaic, and illuminated manuscripts.

A low-angle art photograph looking straight up through massive, textured tree trunks framing the composition from the top left and bottom center. Overarching branches carry a rich canopy of bright coral-red, pinkish-orange, and yellow maple leaves that contrast against a vivid, surreal turquoise-teal sky.
Under the Autumn Ocean
A low-angle art photograph looking straight up toward an open sky between two major clusters of trees. The foliage on the left bursts with red, yellow, and green leaves, while the branches on the right feature soft peach, pink, and bright lime-green leaves, all contrasting against a vivid, solid ultramarine blue background.
Canopy Cathedral 1

The more I played with color editing, the more the textures blended, reminiscent of how light is used in Impressionist painting. It tends toward abstraction, where forms are not hyper detailed, but blend seamlessly. I also drew inspiration from the Fauvists and their unnaturalistic use of bold color.

A dynamic low-angle art photograph looking straight up between two massive, leaning tree trunks that frame the lower half of the image. Overhead, a dense canopy features a surreal mosaic of bright coral-red, salmon-pink, and neon green maple leaves, with small patches of a vivid turquoise-cyan sky visible in the background.
Twisted Canopy 2
A dramatic low-angle art photograph looking straight up into a dense, sweeping canopy of hyper-saturated magenta-pink, hot red, and scattered pale green leaves. The delicate branches span diagonally across the frame, dividing the background into a deep, pitch-black void on the left and a vivid electric-blue sky on the right.
Into Eternity

I wanted to recreate the feel of these artforms, something as striking as Fauvism but more pleasant to the eye, like a beautifully patterned fabric woven with metallic thread.

A low-angle art photograph looking straight up through an opening in the forest canopy. The right half of the image is filled with brilliant fiery red, crimson, and golden-yellow maple leaves, while the upper-left features dense emerald-green foliage. Both sides meet in the center around a patch of deep, vibrant cobalt-blue sky.
Canopy Cathedral 2
A low-angle art photograph looking up through a thick, rough-barked tree trunk that extends diagonally from the upper left. The frame is dominated by a dense, sunlit canopy of vibrant, golden-yellow maple leaves, with a prominent leaf in sharp focus on the upper right, all set against a rich cobalt-blue sky.
Autumn Treasury

To achieve this, I combined super saturated complimentary and split complimentary colors. I was only able to achieve these effects due to the clarity of the blue sky and abundance of sunlight on the day I was shooting (especially important because I shoot exclusively in JPEG). By maintaining the original light and heightening it through color, I have been able to reproduce the feeling of being awed in the cathedral of nature.

Same as featured image: A low-angle art photograph looking straight up through three prominent birch tree trunks into a canopy of glowing golden-yellow and bright orange autumn leaves. The sky behind the tree branches is a deep, surreal violet-purple, with light flaring brightly from the bottom right corner.
Royal Spray
A low-angle art photograph looking up into an intricate web of fine branches and layered maple leaves dominated by vivid crimson-red and fiery orange tones. In the lower right, a distinct light-yellow leaf stands out against the red foliage, with dark tree trunks and small patches of vibrant cobalt-blue sky visible in the background.
Deep Orange Glow
A dynamic low-angle art photograph looking straight up from the base of two thick, deeply textured tree trunks tinted in rich magenta hues that arch together near the center. Overhead, a dense canopy glows with electric pink, coral, and golden-orange maple leaves, featuring a prominent golden leaf near the upper right corner set against a clear turquoise-cyan sky.
Twisted Canopy 3
A surreal low-angle art photograph looking upward alongside a curving, dark plum-purple tree trunk. The canopy above features delicate maple leaves in soft muted mauve, dusty pink, and bright coral-orange tones, with a large orange leaf featured prominently in the upper left, all set against a deep, vibrant ultramarine-blue sky.
Plum Maple
A dynamic low-angle art photograph looking straight upward following a heavy, dark tree trunk as it curves sharply across the top of the frame. Below the sweeping limb, an intricate tapestry of thin black branches holds a bright, backlit canopy of glowing crimson-red, vermilion, and soft pastel-yellow maple leaves, with intense blue sky peeking through the gaps.
Autumn Flames 2
A vibrant low-angle art photograph looking straight up from below a dark, curving tree trunk that extends diagonally from the lower center. The dense canopy above explodes in rich layers of electric orange, soft peach, and bright yellow maple leaves, with a yellow leaf focal point in the lower right and small glimpses of a vivid teal-cyan sky peaking through the branches.
Pumpkin Glow
A vibrant low-angle art photograph looking straight up into an intricate lattice of tree branches completely covered in glowing crimson-red and hot-pink maple leaves. A thick, dark branch reaches across the lower right frame, while a prominent pale lime-yellow leaf stands out in sharp focus in the top right, with tiny slivers of intense blue sky peeking through the canopy center.
Autumn Flames 1
A striking low-angle art photograph looking up through the expansive branch network of a tall maple tree. The canopy explodes in high-contrast crimson, hot red, and shimmering golden-yellow foliage, creating a rich texture of leaves backlit against a vivid backdrop of gradient cyan and deep blue sky.
Glorious Brocade
A high-contrast, low-angle art photograph looking straight up from below a cluster of dark, thick tree trunks. The wide canopy above is densely packed with hyper-saturated red, fiery orange, and bright golden-yellow maple leaves that fill nearly the entire frame, with slivers of vivid cobalt-blue sky showing through the gaps in the foliage.
Autumn Flames 3
A striking surreal low-angle art photograph looking directly up from the base of two dark, textured tree trunks reaching skyward. The canopy features a dramatic contrast between bright neon-orange foliage and pale cyan or mint-green leaves, intermingled across thin branches with deep cobalt-blue sky visible through the openings.
Canopy Carpet
A surreal low-angle art photograph looking straight upward between two massive, dark brown tree trunks that cross dynamically in the lower left frame. The overhead canopy presents a striking contrast of fiery neon-orange and pale cyan-mint maple leaves intermingled across fine black branches, framing a brilliant cobalt-blue sky.
Twisted Canopy 4