On Monday the photo experiments were all about that swan. Today’s set of photo variations is all about a tree.

While I waited around for people from a  furniture store to call me back, I had a series of small chunks of time available.  So, I amused myself by fiddling with a photo I took the other day near the spot where I take all those postcard shots. Here are some variations of the same photo:

Tree and leaves - original light and contrast

Tree and leaves - more light, more contrast

Tree and leaves - softer, more abstract

Tree and leaves - dramatic lighting

What intrigues me about this photo is that it’s another one where I think at first you don’t necessary understand that it’s not a real tree you’re looking at. Rather, it’s a reflection of a tree in the Neckar River. But, when you start to realize that the yellow leaves are seemingly floating in space in front of the tree, then you have to adjust your thinking about the reality of the tree itself. I.e., the leaves are floating on the water above the reflection of the tree.

Also, the railing in the photo looks curvy, but it’s not curvy like that in real life. That’s an illusion created by the reflection of the railing in the water.

Of course, my very first adjustment wasn’t the light or contrast, though. It was rotating the photo by 180°. Here’s what the photo that came out of my camera looked like:

Tree and leaves - original settings and orientation

The furniture store phone calls were less than satisfying in the afternoon, as it turned out. But, at least I had fun exploring some reflective illusions on the Neckar River.