There are several ways to create contrast. Perhaps the simplest involves the use of your flash or seamless backgrounds, such as colored poster board, fabric, or even just a solid-colored piece of cardboard. That was surely the case when I went outside one cold winter’s morning and discovered that a beautiful ice sculpture had formed around my garden hose. Apparently, it was just sunny and warm enough to melt the snow on the roof 20 feet above but cold enough to freeze the steady drips as they hit the garden hose in the open shade below.

In my first shot, the dull backdrop of the tan siding offers little contrast to the much more vivid hose. Dashing back inside the house, I grabbed a red cardboard box from the closet and leaned it up against the side of the house. Better! Handholding my Leica D-Lux 3 set to Aperture Priority mode, I set the aperture to f/4 and recorded this pleasingly festive winter scene of green and red (above).

Just for fun, I then went back in the house to grab a piece of black cardboard, and was soon shooting the garden hose against a dark, deep, and mysterious black background for a completely different look.

All images: Leica D-Lux 3 with 24mm lens, f/4 for 1/100 sec., ISO 100