Five star
I rate images with stars in Lightroom. Here are some five star images. They merit being posted alone but there are too many images. Julia taught me jump images – in Africa. I already knew, but, this was the practical application. I have seen great beauty. Maine! I lived there are few years… Some of my best fall colors come from those times. Fun?! I traveled to nearby Massachusetts for Patriot’s Day. For fun, I was (wink) nearly shot. Notice too that the reenactment soldiers turn their head when firing their muskets. It’s no wonder you could fire from point blank range and miss the target. The birds are Atlantic puffins. I paid dearly – seasick – to get to see them.
Out of print
Things jump out – sometimes, literally. Ha ha, another Photoshop trick (not!)? The frame was set up to take a portrait and to make it look elaborately framed. I would never be so subtle. Ha ha. It was colonial day on the green. People were dressed in Revolutionary war style fashion – a snake oil salesman, etc, It was still fall. I was still chasing color. In this case I settled for a closeup in order to avoid the vast areas of drab brown leaves. Autumn color was scarce around these parts.
Stopping
You simply cannot not stop at every potential photo-op. Even while I drove alone, I did not do it. Traveling with your wife is enough to try her patience many times over. Colleen is such a good sport. I am careful not to overdo things? Ha! Have I been known to be moderate? You can see some of the results of stopping by the roadside. And, you may ascertain some of the image shot thru the windshield on the go. Actually, Colleen has acquired some skill shooting on the go. She thinks she’s better than if I try to drive and shoot. Stop, go, hey! It’s all the same when I edit the images. Good, or, bad? Keep it, or, discard it? Sometimes, it’s hard to tell. I will readily admit that I tend to draw a crowd while I am stopped by the roadside.
Solitude
My point? During leaf peeping season in Acadia, Maine, it’s hard to find a place off the beaten track. In fact, parking around Acadia – Bar Harbor – was at a premium. I actually cruised for a while before locating a parking spot. The same can be said for Jordan Pond, an extremely popular site. My map reading skill took me off the path. Ignore Siri and GPS. Voila! Serenity, peace, solitude. It was Colleen and I, no one else in sight or hearing. A downy woodpecker came to rest nearby. Yes, Sommesville had a hoard of tourists hovering over the requisite shot. And, Jordan Pond found a photographer with a tripod who lingered long after the evening sunset glow was gone. ??? I am not them. We moved on to more peace and definite serenity. Remember, you are never lost as long as you do not put the car in reverse.
Location
A day later in a different area of the state, we found fall color. Location, location, location. I should be satisfied. I was vaguely unrequited. No matter. We did get color. I do believe it was more user (photographer) dissatisfaction than it was nature. I like to think of myself as always changing and improving. It also helps to be in the right place at the right time.
Chasing fall
New England, Maine, in the fall (every family relative asked) – have you seen the leaves change? Yet? Climate change, it’s been whacky. When we arrived, we were definitely too early. There was barely a hint of color change. As the weeks passed (yes, we were here for a few weeks) colors changed subtly. And, then, suddenly they were here/changed, only to fade quickly. Within the span of the few times we passed by, a tree in Rockland faded drastically losing its leaves. I shot individual trees; I shot individual leaves; I shot scenes; I shot reflections; I shot fog. Quintessential?! Sort of. I feel vaguely unrequited. I did get color. For sure. I’ve done better. And, I’ve done worse. I hate the randomness of my finding a suitable scene. Mostly, we were on the way to somewhere else and I shot out the from the car window or we stopped, paused, shot, and then quickly drove onward. I cannot say that I ever got that “Ah!!” shot. Otherwise, if I were chasing wool (fiber), I would say we were successful. Priorities! Keep priority straight and it’s a completely different picture. (pun intended)
Fall
I don’t keep pictures on my phone. Well, a few. Ask me for a “fall’ shot? I would look in my Lightroom catalog. And, there? Well, let’s say that it’s been a while since I scouted fall foliage. There is that moment in time when the leaves are in full color just before they wither and fall…. Color! Everyone wants that brilliant mesmerizing color! “Fall,” I’ve seen a few. I hope to see a few more. That would be sweet too. It’s the first day of fall. Bittersweet, the days are getting shorter.
Fall
It seems that it’s been a few years since I got a quintessential fall foliage shot. This year was no exception. We just seemed to hit the fall leaves at the wrong time wherever we were. I chanced upon this scene in late November. Yes, it was way past peak time. I timed the 2nd game of the World Series as the best time to see foliage in upstate New York. It’s a rule of thumb that varies. Nonetheless I was way past time and did not expect to encounter color. Nice.
Fall Leaves
The quintessential fall image? There were none while I worked in Saudi. Ha! No trees. No fall. No leaves. It was 100 every day. I rained a day or two a year. The trees and bushes bloomed year long. And I don’t look back with any longing. Meanwhile, I try each season… not too hard of late. Dover. I got lost. Ummm you are never lost as long as you never put the car in reverse. I turned the corner past a government building. There! Whoa! Getting lost (I wasn’t) has its benefits. Brilliant bright color! They say that rainy days give the colors more saturation. Well, they are wrong. I gravitate to the bright ‘in your face’ colors that pop! I got some images. This was fall.
Ending – Happy
It occurred to me… that fall pictures in a cemetery are somehow intertwined. Dead leaves and dead people. That’s kind of harsh and stark. Beautiful autumn color in a restful place for departed dearly beloved ones. I’ve taken many a cemetery pic and seek the quintessential autumn image. I have taken fall images in a cemetery for sure. Bittersweet.
Random Luck
One of the things about freestyle travel is that you never know what you are getting next. We ate dinner in a ski resort/brewery. I’ve been skiing enough to know that you avoid places like this (in season or out). We stayed in one Airbnb in a terrible (but up and coming) neighborhood.
We stayed in a lovely place in Lenox. It’s part of the adventure. It’s nice if things are predictable. And I hate it when my guess/choice is not ideal. It always seems to work out. SFSG (so far so good) It helps to have an understanding travel companion….because and up and coming neighborhood looks pretty threatening in the dark of the night. Anything tends to look better with a little daylight.
Golden Rod
It’s a weed. It grows all over the side of the road and in the fields in the fall. I was told it gives you hay fever. My mother swore it did. My father suffered from it every year. We moved to WV because he convinced her there was no hay fever there. Wrong! He got it the worst. Wrong! It’s not golden rod. It is rag weed that is the culprit. Nonetheless, it’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Meanwhile as we drove in peak season golden rod bloom, I was keeping an eye out for a ‘shot.’ I waited long. I passed up other shots. And then… sometimes good things come to those who wait.
Leaf
Go small. The display of fall color eluded me this year. I saw lots of leaves and lots of color. I was just never on time or in the right location. We were passing through too early or too late or could not stop. So basically I missed the foliage display. There is still an opportunity to catch something. I resorted to single leaves. But even then the bar is high. Find a perfect leaf and isolate it. Hard to do, I did not really accomplish that either. It’s ok. There’s always next year. …I hope.
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