I have some trees around me that yearly produce beautiful leaves. Last year, I picked them up as I found them in my yard, and then I wanted to photograph them. I was frustrated because the leaves did not maintain their shape over time; they curled as they dried out even more. The richness of the colors faded too. There's got to be a way to spray them with something to preserve the shape and color that drew my eye to choose them, and then I can go back and arrange and rearrange and shoot them to my heart's content.

Any ideas? My belief has always been that if I can think it, it can be done.

LJP

I have pressed leaves in between waxed paper for botany classes.

This is an article that gives various suggestions:

http://gardening.about.com/od/crafts...rve_Leaves.htm

If you are really ambitious there is a permanent way to
embed them in resin, called Envirotex lite.
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/enpr.html

Thanks for the link Mrs. D. I want to preserve the leaves with some curl and bend to them; makes for more interesting pictures. I know, I didn't specify that in my question. Looks to me like glycerin or something like it will do what I want.

LJ

I too pressed fall leaves between sheets of waxed paper for children. They are a wonderful topic of 'conversation' and the kids are really interested in looking at such pretty colors and in being able to hold them in their hands.

Thanks for the reply. Flat leaves don't photograph well. They need some twist and curl to give a sense of dimension to a two dimension photograph. I want to be able to preserve BOTH the color and the natural shape of the leaves.

OK. Now I get it! I was wondering if leaving a 'bubble' area around the leaves or, in other words, ironing around and away from the leaves letting them in as natural a state as possible would help?

Maybe this is dumb...but I too believe that 'if you can think /have an idea, you can probably find a way'. You said it better and I loved what you said. That was so great. Thanks.

Instead of pressing them flat in a book between the wax paper---how about a leaf press--but instead of screwing the press tightly, leave some space so that the leaf does not flatten?? I think you can get a leaf press in any hobby/craft store--hope this might help?? hutch--

Now this is something I'll have to look into; I'd never heard of a leaf press. With fall in full swing here in NE Oklahoma, I'm having problems keeping my leaves nice while I "get around to" photographing them.

LJP