Oregon Brook, Vermont
While in Vermont this past fall I took the opportunity to visit a little known brook in the Northeast Kingdom that I discovered almost 10 years ago. I first photographed this stream when I was still shooting large format film, and I have dreamed of visiting ever since then hoping to get the right water levels mixed with vibrant autumn color. Well I got my wish this year! After leaving my house at 3:30am a few days in advance of my Vermont Autumn Photo Workshop, I made the long haul drive of over 650 miles to the extreme Northeast corner of Vermont just a stones throw from the Canadian border. My first stop was to Lyndonville for a much needed cup of coffee and to meet up with fellow photographers Alex Mody and Chris Kayler. We immediately headed for this location. After turning off onto the dirt road, we parked our cars at the one and only pull out and descended the steep ravine in route to the brook below. The color was blazing along the banks of the brook and a light rain provided the perfect conditions for shooting stream scenics.
After arriving on the edge of the stream, we all set off in our own search of compositions. I settled on this one of many because I was drawn to the current of the cascades in the foreground and the tunnel of color expanding into the distant frame. The stream was in such good condition and the color so phenomenal that we spent the next day shooting along it’s banks once again. When you find an area that is promising it’s best to spend some time working it until you’ve exhausted all of the photographic possibilities!
Oregon Brook Autumn Rush
And from the next morning shoot! And oh what a difference a day makes! Heavy rains and wind overnight knocked many of the leaves from the trees and scattered them all over the rocks around the stream. I took advantage of this added bonus by framing a particularly well carpeted rock just to the left of the main cascades. Using my ultra wide angle Nikon 14-24mm allowed me to incorporate a huge section of the rock and getting in close emphasized the amazing array of colorful leaves in the foreground.
Oregon Brook Autumn
Nice woodland stream shots, Joe. I was in the NE Kingdom the next week at Island Pond. Not being familiar with the area I wasn’t able to find much to shoot and the color was washed away by the rain you spoke of. It makes all the difference when one has the time to explore an area or knows someone who knows the area. You did a great job with the compositions and your knowledge of the area obviously paid off for you. I am enjoying your work since finding you on FB.
Great shots, I was also up there about a week ago, NE was definitely the best as well as the white mountains in NH. It was sad to see the muted colors in the mid to southern regions. Oh well, just another excuse to go back!