After the leaves have fallen

Autumn is fleeting. It seems just as soon as the forest is transformed from the dull greens of late summer into the fiery tapestry of fall color the leaves so quickly drop. I think autumn’s brevity is cause to celebrate. When something so beautiful passes so quickly it gives us little time to take it for granted! Instead I bask in the short lived beauty of autumn each day, taking in the sights, the sounds and feeling the cold hand of winter slowly grasping our colorful little world before ripping off the leaves and leaving a wake of grey in her path.

Second Falls of Elakala

I often times hear photographers referring to “peak” fall color as if it is the only time to be out in the field and without it there is no chance of creating a “great” image. Well, I disagree. Great images can be made in any season, at any time of the day and under any lighting situation. The trick is to be open minded, and match the light to the subject. In fact, my favorite time to shoot streams is after the peak of color has blushed the tree tops and the leaves are all beginning to fall to the ground carpeting the rocks and creating swirling eddy’s of color in the stream beds. Now that’s the time to be down in the water shooting the falls.

Swirling at Second Falls

These images are from  a favorite falls of mine along Shays Run in Blackwater Falls State Park. Just think how boring this shot would be without all of those leaves blanketing the rocks and creating those abstract swirls of color in the water below.

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