Pressing Leaves to Preserve Texture

Pressing leaves to preserve texture is not something I thought much about until I left a few leaves underneath a place mat, and didn’t check them for a few days. When I did, I was amazed at how much texture and “character” they had!

When I used the leaves in a few photos, and did some comparisons, I had an “aha” moment. Compared to leaves I had previously pressed in books, these leaves brought so much life and movement to my images because of the shadows they cast.

Try this simple method for pressing leaves and let me know what you think!

Pressing Leaves to Preserve Texture

• Gather leaves, let them sit on a towel for a couple hours to dry out just a little bit
• Choose a place mat that has some weight but also has holes such as these vinyl placemats
• Set the leaves on one place mat and set another one on top and leave it in an area with good ventilation (do not set a book or anything else on top)
• Store in a shoe box in a dark and dry space

Place mat Method vs Book Method

Follow this method and in a few short days you’ll have perfectly preserved crunchy textural leaves

So that’s how to press leaves to preserve texture!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you try this method to press leaves, let me know if it worked for you! Image shot on “Slate” vinyl background.

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