Small worlds made large: Macro photographs of leaf skeletons

Fine art prints of small leaves enlarged up to 60 inches

One of my favorite things as a photographer is to “immortalize” small, unnoticed, and ephemeral subjects in a way that they could potentially be seen forever, and at a size that makes them visible like never before.

Some of the fallen leaves pictured here are so decomposed that they would totally disintegrate soon if left in the environment. But now, they have been photographed — immortalized — for as long as anyone cares to look at these images.

This lacy leaf is mostly skeleton now, and only 6 inches from end-to-end. Now it's intricate skeleton can be admired at nearly ten times actual size in a 60-inch fine art print. — This lacy leaf is mostly skeleton now, and only 6 inches from end-to-end. Now it’s intricate skeleton can be admired at nearly ten times actual size in a 60-inch fine art print.

High-resolution images suitable for very large prints

While these fragile and delicate leaves won’t last much longer, my fine art prints allow them to live on for generations. When printed and framed properly, black and white pigment ink prints on 100-percent cotton paper could last 400-plus years according to some studies. That means your great grandchild’s great grandchildren could potentially admire this same leaf!

For more information about print longevity, read my article “How long will your photographs last?”

My goal when making these photographs was that they could (and should) be printed as large as possible, allowing the viewer to admire the intricate details and textures of the leaf surfaces and structures.

Prints are available up to 60 inches tall, which is much larger than real life.

Large prints let these fragile little fallen leaves to become the bold hero of a room’s decor. I love that.

Leaf skeleton, black and white photograph by Keith Dotson. Fine art prints available up to 60 inches tall. **Buy a fine art print**.

I’ve always admired Mother Nature’s ability to create “designs” that are equally functional and beautiful. Not only are natural designs structurally efficient and lovely to look at, once their function is done, they decay and fade away beautifully.

These decaying leaves are a perfect example. Photographed simply, against a dramatic black or white background, these macro images illustrate the gorgeous lacy intricacy of leaf skeletons.

This 4.5-inch fragmented leaf was photographed against a backlight, highlighting its veins and structures. To me, it almost looks like an aerial map of a river delta. **Buy a fine art print**.

Fine art photographer Keith Dotson is pictured holding a fragile leaf, one of the subjects of his macro leaf skeleton series. — This is the same leaf as pictured just above.

Partially decomposed leaf with exposed skeleton, black and white photograph by artist Keith Dotson. Click to by a fine art print for your home or office. — Partially decomposed leaf with exposed skeleton, black and white photograph by artist Keith Dotson. **Click to by a fine art print for your home or office**.

Fine art photographer Keith Dotson is pictured holding a beautiful fallen leaf, which he has photographed in black and white. — A 3.75 inch leaf with its skeleton partially revealed. In this leaf, we can observe a variety of surface textures and the lacy structure of the skeletal framework.

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to visit me on Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.

~ Keith

Fine art prints of small leaves enlarged up to 60 inches

High-resolution images suitable for very large prints

For more information about print longevity, read my article “How long will your photographs last?”

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