In the round

Having recently seen a number of images inspired by the work of Pep Ventosa, I thought I'd have a go using a simplified version of his technique. I started off with a single Rudbeckia flower, a half-price bargain still sitting in its pot on the patio and was quite pleased with the results, though I had to line up the individual images by hand as I didn't get the subject in the same place each time.

I then went for a walk in search of a beautiful, isolated autumn tree. This proved much harder than I'd expected. There's very little autumn colour just now. The leaves of all species that turn colour early - cherries, Norway maples and ash - have long gone, swept away by recent storms. Oaks, willows and even many field maples, which usually develop stunning hues of gold and copper, are staying stubbornly green. I came across a stand of aspen with deep green leaves, looking as though it was August rather than the end of October.

Eventually I found a field maple that was reasonably well separated from the surrounding trees, and was also showing some golden tones, enhanced by the now setting sun. The extra is a composite of twelve images, covering an arc of about 240 degrees. I couldn't get all the way round because of the nearby trees - also I would have been shooting into the low sun and wasn't sure that this would add to the overall effect. Although this could probably do with more work, I'm quite pleased with the impressionistic effect and can see that this is a useful technique to have available.