Close up photography of natural subjects can reveal things we do not ordinarily see, but after awhile, my close-up images sometimes begin to all look alike. One way to move beyond the cliché macro photo is to juxtapose one form upon another to create a contrast that results in meaning. While visiting Balboa Park’s spectacular Botanical Garden I noticed a leaf of one plant overlapping a much larger leaf of another. Leaves are living things – the light and water gatherers of plant life. How different this pair of leaves appears in structure, texture, color, and form. This image makes me ponder the wonder of nature. I welcome all of those tiny flaws and scars as much as I savor the contrasts in these lush, tropical patterns.