Oak trees are the national tree of the United States
You are looking at a macro shot of an oak leaf during fall foliage. I love macro photography because it allows you to see something better than you can with your naked eye. Here is a full-sized photo of the oak leaf, just to give you an idea of scale.
Photo of a black skimmer fishing with its lower mandible submerged
A good macro photo comes down to a few key elements. It must be close, it must be clear, and it must be colorful. Some creatures do not allow you to get close, but for non-animal subjects like this leaf, there’s no excuse for not getting close. Macro photos must be clear, and to get a truly sharp photo you need a tripod. To take it to the next level, you can even use a remote trigger or timer. This allows you to eliminate the small movement created by depressing the shutter button. Finally, a good macro photo really stands out when it is colorful. Something as simple as a leaf can make for some wild and simple macro photography.
So, what is going on when leaves change their colors? As the nights become longer in the fall, chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. Chlorophyll is the natural compound that makes leaves green. As this chlorophyll production stops, it reveals the carotenoids and anthocyanin within the leaf. These leaf pigments produce the recognizable colors of fall. It appears to be a period of warm sunny days and cool nights (not freezing), which creates the winning combination for spectacular fall colors.
Chlorophyll makes leaves green
Love fall colors? Check out these other fall foliage photos!
Did you know?
- Oak trees can absorb 50+ gallons of water a day!
- Oak trees usually don’t start producing acorns until they are 20 years old.
- Oak is the national tree of the United States!
- It’s believed an oak tree will produce 10 million acorns in a lifetime.
- Every oak tree began its life as an acorn.
- People made ink from oak trees. It was called “oak gall ink”.
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