Name: Hal Gage
Picture title: Lichen Patterns on Stones, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Category: Plants & Fungi
Nationality: American
Occupation: Graphic designer / Photographer

Hal says:
‘On a trip to Maui to help my brother work on a rental unit, I escaped one day to walk around the area looking for photographs. After walking through the neighbourhood I found myself climbing a hill for an overview of an elaborate levee spillway. While surveying the scene, I looked down at my feet and discovered this amazing field of lichen covered stones. They looked to be part of the reinforcement of the levee. The smooth, rounded rocks were in a pile, and the lichen patterns were juxtaposed next to each other in an interesting way. The rocks were generally dark, which made the lichen pop with contrast.

At first I focused on tight close-ups, just looking at a single small patch of lichen. They were mesmerising. As I worked, I chose to pull back a bit and use the edges of the rocks as an interruption to the patterns and as a pattern in itself.’

Technical information:
Canon Powershot G12
Canon 24–70mm
ISO 200 
f/8
1/100sec
Accessories: Gitzo small tripod.
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom.

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Twitter: halgage