Combretum zeyheri (Bushwillow)

I spent a fantastic weekend at the Thaba Lesodi game farm which was carpeted with winged seeds from the Bushwillow and Leadwood trees. Some of them are mottled with fantastic colour as you can see in the image below. There are actually quite a few trees in the Combretum family and so there are quite a lot of these winged seeds to be found.

I went on a drive around the farm to source a fine specimen for my photography needs. I found myself spoilt for choice with it being just the right time of year. Once I had collected some likely candidates I had the usual stress of transporting them safely home.

I struggled for two days to get the shot I wanted. The colour had slightly faded and I started with lighting which gave great texture to the seed but was ultimately too harsh and contrasting. So after shooting and editing, re-shooting and re-editing I was finally happy with an image that met my exacting standards.