Fall foliage shimmers in the golden light of a late autumn afternoon while snow covers the mountaintop above. Shot near Lake Placid in the Adirondacks
Art in Stone
It has been a while since I have done any cemetery infrared shooting,so both myself and a good friend went out yesterday to explore a new destination. Lovely weather in the low sixties provided the perfect opportunity to look for compositions amongst the grandeur of this Victorian era cemetery.This image was captured with a converted Nikon D200,which only captures infrared now. I spotted these ornately detailed urns which were sidelit by the sun,and the mausoleum in the distance rounded out my composition. I am always amazed by the sights you see in these old cemeteries. I will share more from this trip in the month ahead.
Trip to the Summit
This is a view along the way up to the summit of Whiteface mountain near Lake Placid. It cost twelve bucks to drive up to the top and it was a nice drive but photo ops were tough.The valley had decent color but the distant views were somewhat hazy. This is the kind of road you pray all the way up and down that your brakes don’t fail. Sidelit pines add a little foreground interest to the view.
Fence and Foliage
Some of the last fall color for this year still hangs on along this row of trees. The fence adds a bit of appeal to the shot and leads your eye into the photo.
Fall Pumpkin Arrangement
I decided to light paint this arrangement as the end of fall is rapidly approaching,and images of autumn will be getting more scarce by the minute. Spiders crawling on the house and fall leaves around the scene rounded out the composition.Shot this about a half hour before sunrise,and used about 10 separate exposures to produce the end result.
Peaceful Country Lane
This country lane is another location that I had stored in my memory banks for future possibilities,and thankfully I got to shoot it before all the leaves had dropped. I like the fact that you can’t see the end of the lane,which leaves you wondering what might be waiting and beckons you to walk down to find out.
Fall Palette
Varied hues of red,yellow and orange combine to produce an autumn scene that takes on a painterly look.
Country Barn
Fall color provides a pleasing background for this lovely barn.
Rain Soaked Trees
Heavy rains the night before had trees saturated and full of rich color. The tunnel effect,with the dark trees framing the brighter road drew me to the shot.
Fall Tapestry
This little microcosm of autumn color was the result of three different trees dropping their leaves in one area.One maple was predominantly red,the other maple was mostly yellow and the third tree was what I believe to be a white oak,and those leaves had a reddish-brown to magenta appearance. I find it very hard sometimes to isolate a small patch of leaves that has an appealing composition.but I like the mix and my framing on this one.
A Touch of Autumn
This small lake was showing some hints of autumn color along its shoreline while the mountain in the background features glorious fall foliage .Shot in the Adirondacks of New York.
A Cool Fall Day
This was shot after a night of heavy rain and conditions were as calm as I have seen in recent memory. I usually would crop out the road,but with the leaves partially covering it, I found the blue shade a nice contrast to the row of trees. This is one of my favorite fall shots from this season.
Encased in Ivy
This church which was covered in ivy is located in Brattleboro Vermont and caught my eye as we passed through the town. Several local residents stopped to ask what I was doing and told me it is no longer an active church,but they now hold dances inside. I wish I had been able to shoot it this week or next as the ivy most certainly will be changing to more vivid hues..
The Standout
This grove of trees included this colorful maple that seemed to steal the show.
Foggy Fall Path
This peaceful unpaved road beckons leaf peepers to travel around the bend to see what fall color awaits. Dominated by yellow foliage,the forest contrasts nicely with the stone path.A light fog helps add a little atmosphere.
Nature’s Dazzling Display
Fall is my favorite time of the year,and even though this years spectacle of color seems a bit lackluster,one can still find pockets of beauty if you look a bit. Despite the fact that I traveled thirteen hundred miles this month to see foliage,this scene was among my favorites and it was less than ten miles from home. If anyone wants suggestions on shooting foliage,I would say mix it up and try some tight shots like this using a telephoto to compress the scene and keep sky out of the shot. It wont be long till old man winter starts to blow and just between you and me,I hope its one of the snowiest and coldest winters.I just got four new snow tires on the truck and I am itching to get out and explore.
Vermont Maple Syrup Shack
This little shack was along the road in Vermont and the mums in the window boxes,the wood pile,and the stone wall all combined to create a country scene worth shooting. There were little maple syrup bottles on shelves in the windows,but I don’t know if the shack was used to make maple syrup or not.
October Lantern Light
I posted a summer image from this lovely location a few months ago, and thankfully I decided to drive by and see what it might be looking like now. The old maples were in their prime of fall color transition and the fact that fallen leaves were covering the entrance and sporadically covering the lane as well made for an impressive sight in my opinion.The property is gated at the stone wall and posted as well,but after I spoke with the groundskeeper and gave him a few large prints from my first visit,he was all too glad to welcome me back.I started shooting at the entrance and then moved up the lane for a variety of angles,and at one point the keeper pulled up on his tractor and offered to open the gate,which allowed me to get what is perhaps my favorite view. The lit lanterns on the stone walls finished off this fall scene,which will be just a memory if hurricane sandy hits the east coast as predicted. trees will be blown clean of leaves,which makes my visit even more special only days before the storm.
Lake Placid Park
This Lake Placid park was full of color, but with twenty-mile per hour wind and driving rain,I was wondering why I left my warm motel room an hour and a half before sunrise in search of images. All the light in this image is coming from lamp posts throughout the park and my exposure for this image was thirty seconds at f11. Several early morning joggers gave me funny looks as they wondered what on earth I was doing.This image was taken shortly after I finished my streets of gold image from yesterdays post.
Streets of Gold
This colorful store in Lake Placid caught my eye as I headed toward the countryside for sunrise shooting. It was raining at the time,so the walkway was shimmering in golden street light which added to the appeal. I added some flash to the store fronts for added kick and enjoyed the stillness of the lonely street.
Foliage Lined Stream
Fall color stretched along the banks of this stream outside Lake Placid as autumn rapidly advances across the Eastern United States. A pair of hip waders are a great addition to the photographer’s tool kit and can provide access to get the shot you want.
An Autumn Postcard
This is another classic fall scene from the heart of Amish country featuring farmers hard at work bringing in the corn harvest. Pleasant temperatures and a mild breeze made for the perfect day to be out in the fields. A full complement of farms and silos provide the perfect backdrop to the men at work in the foreground.
Fall in Vermont
This Vermont farm is accented by autumn color,and the reflection in the pond just adds to the scenic appeal. A stone wall runs along the dirt drive and seems to be a very common attribute at many Vermont farms.
Rainy Day Stroll
I was out shooting fall foliage the other day and decided it might be nice to show some folks enjoying the great outdoors. Just as I was contemplating what might make a nice image,it started to rain pretty hard and at that moment I noticed a dad and his three sons getting out of their car, so I gave them my umbrella and they took a little stroll among these colorful maples. The blue umbrella seemed to match the blue attire and made a nice contrast with the autumn colors. Heavy rains the night before had everything saturated and provided rich colors throughout.The rain subsided a short time later,so hopefully dad and the boys got some time to explore the woods while color still abounds.
Working Late
This old Dodge has been part of a local fall roadside stand for several years and this year I finally set aside a night to photograph it. The truck bed is full of mums and a wide variety of colorful mums fill the foreground for customers to pick from. Let me explain how the shoot went.I arrived an hour before sunset so I could set up the tripod,fill in any empty holes with flowers if needed and start my laptop to fire the camera. First the laptop took 5 minutes to let me log on,then my camera control software would not recognize that my camera was attached. After no less than 6 restarts,the sun was now below the horizon and I was now ready to drive over my laptop.
Next the sky lit up in an area Not included in my frame,so I recomposed and shot the image. Now I was ready to give up on light painting the scene because of the laptop snafu,but I gave it one last try and unbelievably the thing works. So for the next hour I used my spotlight and a flash to light the truck, flowers,and scene and this was my result. Lighting a black truck is a real challenge but thanks to the generosity of the owners in allowing me to work the shot,I had enough time to pull it off.
Vermont Stonewall
This is one of a few images I got while spending two days traversing Vermont on my way home from Lake Placid.Fall color was late this year,so I was coming through at least a week before any real color appeared. I spotted this place on a back road and asked to roam around the property,which the owner gladly obliged.The property had about 6 red barns on it plus this rustic rock wall. A classic Vermont scene
The Adirondacks
This peaceful little scene was at our motel in Lake Placid and was worthy of a shot. We stayed at the motel three days and it was only on the last day that I walked out back and saw this view.Sometimes the shot is right under your nose,but you need to look. The cabin runs around 500 bucks for two nights but being able to look out your bedroom window at this scene might be worth every penny.There was only one Adirondack chair out front,so I shot one frame with it on the right side and then moved it to the left for a second shot.I then layered the two images together to end up with the final image,which was possible thanks to the tripod.
The Flume Falls
This falls called the flume is located along a scenic stretch of road about ten miles outside of Lake Placid. As I get older I seem to be getting a little less brave or perhaps wiser,but on this morning I decided to navigate my way onto a hard to reach rock outcropping to get this shot. To get this shot,I left my camera bag in the woods,carried only my camera and tripod and clung to several trees as I descended a hill.Next I crawled on hands and knees along a two foot wide rock ledge that included low hanging roots brushing my back.I took my sweet time getting there because any mistake would put me into the raging water,which included more nasty falls just downstream. Getting there right after sunrise insured I would hopefully be there alone,which I was.The water was flowing pretty strongly,so extreme caution was in order.Fall color on the mountain provided a nice backdrop.
Dawn on Lake Placid
This is the view from our motel backyard on our Lake Placid trip. I only knew it was there on our last day,so I set the chairs up, tied the canoes fast and set the oars in position the night before. I came out at dawn in the dark,set up my laptop,tripod and camera and started lighting the scene in the dark,and then recorded the lake and sky as the sun rose. I could easily get used to sitting in those chairs and the home out on the lake with the light on is a dream location to live.
Wishing for Calm Waters
Nothing spectacular really,but this is as good as I could get with bad light and terrible wind. I can’t recall a day with calm water during this short fall foliage excursion,so sometimes you take what you can get.
Donald Reese Photography 