To "glean" in modern parlance means to gather bits of information from a variety of sources https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr2=p%3ads%2cv%3aomn%2cm%3asa%2cbrws%3achrome%2cpos%3a1&fr=mcafee&type=E211US885G0&p=gleani
However, in ancient times "gleaning" occurred when wealthy landowners would allow the poor onto their fields to gather whatever crops were left after the main harvest was completed. Essentially, a first example of "trickle down economics".
For me, from a photographic standpoint, "the gleaning" occurs in November when the vast vistas of Autumn glory are gone and all that is left are small pockets of colour. It is, quite simply, the gathering of that which is left.
Ostensibly the concept of gleaning can seem a little sad. After the enjoyment of such abundance, I am simply trying to make the best of what is left. However anyone who has gradually worked their way through a box of chocolates will tell you that the last two or three are the most precious.
Generally, the photos taken at this time are not filled with the richness of beautiful colour that was available just a month ago. They do, however have a narrative quality of their own. Because the photos often consist of bits of colour against a neutral toned or blue sky backdrop, they are a harbinger of the more austere winter days ahead. To that end, they can have a grace and delicate beauty all their own. From a photographic standpoint, they are a bit more of a challenge to make. Composition becomes more important when the frame no longer consists of a solid blast of colour.
So, as the time of the gleaning comes to an end, we enter the time of festive lights and (perhaps) vistas of white snow. The visual world, as it should be, is ever changing.
...more later
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