The first image in the reflections set is of a pond at Leslie Golf Course. I took this photo when I was biking back from taking the rest of the pictures at Olson Park. The sun was just beginning to set, which made for really good lighting. That combined with the vibrant colors of the trees really caught my eye, and I decided to stop and take dome pictures. I took some of the tree with the pond in the foreground and was very pleased with how the composition turned out.
The photo of the red leaf against the white background is a Japanese Maple leaf laying on a piece of paper. There is a Japanese Maple tree right next to my house, and the bright color of the leaf caught my eye when I went outside to take photos. I also thought that the jagged edges of the leaf could create a cool shadow. This photo was taken later in the afternoon when the sun is low in the sky, which made the shadow spread out over a big space. When I was editing it I increased its texture and contrast to make both the leaf and its shadow stand out.