One of the most difficult things about photography is understanding leaves. Three areas are covered when you study leaves. One area concerns how the leaves interact with one another area concerns how they relate to the environment. I will briefly discuss each area.
Large-scale trees and plants can have many different terms to describe the leaves. You might refer to them as “myriads”, or “many leafed” varieties. This is a common term, but technically it is incorrect. A true leaf is only oneicle (a small blade). If you wish to simplify your language a bit you may consider “dry Leaves”.
The environment plays a crucial role in the development of leaves. Dry leaves can be caused by too much heat from sunlight. Therefore, a photograph taken using a low grade camera and a long exposure will show only the leaf’s underside. An image taken with an advanced camera will show all of its greenish or yellow surface.
Let’s take a look at a sample using the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney. The photograph’s blue background, foreground, and foliage all blend beautifully together. The main subject of the photo, a large weeping willow bough is in the foreground. A series pink flowers, the prominent feature, are adorning the background. The image is called Watershed and shows the subject dressed in full regalia as they embrace the weeping Willow bough.
This image was chosen because the subject is grasping the plant with both his hands. In an apparent attempt to imitate the actions of birds of prey, the leaves have been picked and sometimes damaged. The subject’s actions have been portrayed in a positive light by the image composers and the staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Staff have now implemented a regulation requiring employers implement a leaves portion and FMLA for all employees on parental leave.
Why did staff choose to use this image for signage? This image could be seen to be in keeping with the theme and policy of the CFDA as well as the Labor Government’s current policy of introducing a Parental leave scheme to provide additional protection for working parents during their pregnancy and maternity leaves. The image was also created by a professional illustrator who knows the types of images that would be needed for a leaflet. There is no need to recreate every leaflet image currently in circulation in a single sheet of text. The creation of images can be time-consuming and puts any leaflet reader’s mind at the back of their mind.
Another benefit to adopting this leaflet picture is that it allows us all to imagine different scenarios in which we might encounter these images. The leaflet would need to be designed in such a way as to capture the natural progression of a leaf through the seasons. It might be necessary to include seasonal images in a leaflet designed for a working mother. It would be equally applicable to any other person whose main responsibility will be caring for their children. Anyone should be able see the benefits of leaves.
The message that I hope to convey is that understanding leaves, the CFDA, and the law is crucial to understanding both the policy and the law. A leaflet does NOT have to contain the same content as the explanatory text. It does not have to repeat the entire explanatory text. Instead, it should make clear the key differences between the leaflets and provide sufficient detail to explain how one leaflet differs from another. This is an important point because many people have been made aware of the fact that leaflets that contain similar text and graphics won’t be enforceable by the Employment Tribunal as leaflets that are more detailed. (The majority Employment Tribunal decisions are in favour of employers.
