The cooler weather made me do it. I said I was going to wait a while longer before posting an Image about fall color, but the weather turned a bit cooler on Saturday and I couldn’t help myself: it was time. Besides, we need something to draw our attention, if only briefly, away from the turmoil we have created for ourselves.
A few years ago, about three weeks from now, Bonnie and I were looking for some fall foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway between home and the Craggy Mountains to our north. Along this part of the road there are some wonderful outcroppings of great metamorphosed granitic boulders, which have so weathered over the centuries from lichen activity and erosion, that they support the growth of gnarly specimens of sourwood, one of the mountains’ standout “red” species. Other diminutive hardwoods, still in summer green, and the old rocks themselves, caught my attention; and it was intimate landscape time.
A focal length of 150mm from a camera-to-subject distance of 30-40′, allowed me to isolate some of the gnarly branches, some of the colored foliage and some of the past-prime blossom clusters against a backdrop of green and brownish gray. An aperture of f/7.1 focused on the nearer trunk allowed me to narrow my depth-of-field so as to soften the background just a bit. And a shutter speed of 0.4 second at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
I’m going to crawl out on a precarious limb now and predict – given the precipitation we’ve had and the onset of cooler temperatures – that the foliage season in the Southern Appalachians is going to be one to enjoy and to remember, whenever it arrives.
Don you’ve done it again. Awesome
Hey Mike. It’s good to hear from you. Hope you are staying safe and well. I am honored by your kind words. Thank you. I hope you are preparing to photograph fall foliage somewhere. I think it’s going to be inspirational. Walk in Beauty.
Nice, Don.
Hey Bob. I always appreciate hearing from you. I was good to see you at Dave’s recently. I’ll try to keep you updated on the fall colors around Asheville in the hope that you’ll be able to get out and enjoy them. Walk in Beauty and stay safe.
Don, A great kickoff to the fall season. The mix of colors is a glorious sample of the coming season. What really caught my eye and thought right away, was that gnarly sourwood was holding the entire image together. The green leaves really provide a nice DOF.
Hey Chuck. It’s always good to have you with me, my Friend. I very much appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments. If I remember accurately, there are sourwood trees in Shenandoah NP; and I know there are gums, persimmons and even red maples. Don’t know for certain, but their colors should begin coming in around the middle of October. I think there’s a webcam somewhere around Big Meadow that your could check for status updates. Hope you will check out that opportunity. Stay well, be safe, Walk in Beauty.
Howdy Don, Love your new image here. My first impression was the similarity to the Japanese style of small landscape paintings/murals. Also as I have mentioned it’s an Elliot Porter intimate landscape like image. The complementary colors of red and green really work in conjunction with each other, and the texture of the leaves vs., the snaking tree trunk/braches has a great sense of pattern and leading line for the eye to slowly investigate the entire composition.
Howdy Michael. It’s always great to hear from you! Your deconstruction of this Image brings a smile to my face. I had not considered the Japanese comparison because to me at first blush it seems a bit too literal for such a juxtaposing, but the more I look at it, the more I come round to your way of seeing it. You are, my Friend, without doubt, the Eliot Porter consciousness of the photography world with which I am familiar, and whenever you see his work in mine, I am honored. Color, texture, pattern, shape and form: you have pointed us to all the elements of design. I hope you are getting ready for a wonderful Rhode Island autumn, filled with all of the things that Porter loved to photograph. Enjoy and create.
Don, lovely image. I especially like the twisted trunk snaking up through the colors. I find it often challenging to isolate enough depth of a tree or bush to get most of it, but still with a soft background. You’re right about the temps. Last weekend in the DC area, we had the coldest Sept 19-20 since 1929!
Hi Ray. I always enjoy having you with me and reading your thoughtful comments and inquiries. It’s interesting that you begin with the trunk of the tree. I seldom find sourwood growing up from a rock outcrop, so this one was unusual. Most of the specimens I find in the forest are anything but gnarly, and this one caught my eye for that reason right away. One of my primary mentors is a wonderful photographer/naturalist Pat O’Hara, who is truly a master of depth-of-field. If you want a master lesson in seeing depth, read his book Wilderness Scenario, if you can find it. It is a work of art that I’ve had in my library of a quarter of a century. I do feel that we are in for some beautiful color this fall, so I hope you will prepare for and enjoy it very much. Walk in Beauty and be safe.
Thanks, again, Everyone for joining me and for your thoughtful observations and comments. With a spike in temperatures set for the coming 3-4 days, the days beyond that are promising coolness and moisture, the perfect recipe for the onset of fall color. Wherever you are in this land, keep your eyes out for the coming of the color, and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities it will give you. There are numerous possibilities for straightforward images, especially intimate landscapes, as well as creative approaches like intentional camera movements and multiple exposures. Everyone have a great week and Walk in Beauty.
Thank you for the beauty you so generously share and inviting us to take our minds to a different place in this moment. What you do is important.
Dee
Good morning Dee. Thank you very much for your kind words. I am honored by your thoughtfulness and I truly appreciate your taking the time to join me and to share this expression. May my work be a path down which we all can travel to reach a place where Nature is given the love and respect it is due in all of our lives. Stay safe and well, and Walk in Beauty.