A Fan of Light

About this piece

Light passing through a fan palm leaf reveals fine veins and pleated segments in vivid shades of green. Mike Gedj frames the leaf close enough for its radiating structure to fill the image, balancing luminous ridges with deep folds and dark gaps.

The story

I moved close until the palm leaf stretched beyond the frame, leaving only its ribs, folds, and the light passing through them. From this angle, each narrow segment held a different shade of green. My eye kept returning to the point where they met beside the stem, then following them outward again. I wanted the photograph to preserve that simple movement: a small, shaded junction opening into a broad fan of brightness.