Flowing Palm Leaf

I spent some time trying to capture still frames of the tremendous texture in the giant Costa Rican palm leaves that crowded the space between sugar cane fields and the jungle. I was frustrated by the wind – even a slight breeze made it impossible to focus on a fluttering leaf or to record fine details without motion blur.

After connecting with the land a little more, I realized that the wind was as much a part of what I was seeing as the trees and the giant leaves. The air had life, like the earth and the jungle. In total stillness, everything seemed to stifle and die.

This photograph is mostly about the wind. My camera was on a tripod, but I left the shutter open much longer than I normally would and allowed the leaf to smear its colours through the frame as it moved. I like this result – there is a strong sense of continuous motion, as though we can see the broad leaf breathing from the sweet, warm tropical air.