Attractive Abstractions, Part Two; Palm Fronds; Maui, April 2019
Coconut palm fronds are the botanical epitome of graphic (in the technical sense) abstraction (in the photographic sense) and are a rewarding source of strong images. And, like most photographic subjects, they are equally fascinating during casual - non-photographic - study. Including indolent but mesmerized lounge chair observations.
It is easy to be fond of fronds. The frond is the entire leaf structure - the stalk or stem (petiole) and its attached leaflets (pinnae) - connected to the main stem (trunk) of a coconut palm. As every local postcard confirms, the coconut palm, with its canopy of fronds atop the slender trunk, is emblematic of Maui shoreline.
Wind animates the fronds. As the wind freshens, gusts, or wanes, the stems' arcs tighten or relax and the leaflets' spreads widen or narrow. Bowing and waving, the fronds form complex designs, moving languidly or passionately as the wind demands. When they overlap, the leaflets can create moire patterns that change constantly.
Postcard from the edge:
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Indolent study from a lounge chair:
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Graphic abstractions:
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Long exposure (2.5 seconds) of fronds bowing and waving in medium breeze:
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Overlaps and arcs:
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Arcs and moire patterns:
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This not a case of moire is less.
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.