if it weren't for leaves...

... I honestly don't know what I'd do!

Well, that's a slight exaggeration, I'd still take photographs, but I have become somewhat obsessed with getting the "perfect" leaf picture.  

I'm lucky living where I do as there are quite a few trees on our road and then there are two areas of woodland at the bottom of my road.  So, I'm rarely stuck for subjects, particularly at this time of the year when they rather helpfully fall onto the ground.

The tricky bit is in finding pleasing compositions.  While I don't mind tidying a scene up a little bit, it's nice to have it left as natural as possible.  Though in some cases I do collect leaves and other detritus, place it all in a bag and then empty the contents out onto a tray on the floor.

And here are two images I got by using that very method.  Both required multi-shot focus bracketing and then stacking on the computer to get a fully in focus image.  But that's all part of the fun!

Fujifilm X-H2, Laowa 65mm f2.8 ultra-macro
1/15th of a second at f4, ISO 125
tripod, self-timer release
8-shot focus bracket stacked using Helicon Focus

Fujifilm X-H2, Laowa 65mm f2.8 ultra-macro
1/15th of a second at f4, ISO 125
tripod, self-timer release
15-shot focus bracket stacked using Helicon Focus