Fall Colors ... !

Bromo33333 · Oct 12, 2006

I am not sure exactly where to post this, so I am putting it in this forum (apologies if it belongs somewhere else).

What is your favorite type of fall color picture (subject, place/location, style, exact timing, etc.) and why?

I am getting ready to shoot my first fall where I am living in a place that actually turns, AND have a couple of cameras at my disposal. THe weather here promises to be rainy, so I will have to see how this works out, but you guys get my drift!)

thefizz · Oct 12, 2006

Bromo33333 said:
I am not sure exactly where to post this, so I am putting it in this forum (apologies if it belongs somewhere else).

What is your favorite type of fall color picture (subject, place/location, style, exact timing, etc.) and why?

I am getting ready to shoot my first fall where I am living in a place that actually turns, AND have a couple of cameras at my disposal. THe weather here promises to be rainy, so I will have to see how this works out, but you guys get my drift!)

I shoot mostly B&W but I do love the Autumn, (sorry Fall for you north Americans ), for photographing in colour. I love the colours of leaves as they start to die off.

This weekend I plan to go for a hike in the Cooley Mountains where the hillsides will glow a rusty orange colour which is just beautiful. I must remember to bring the camera and a roll of Velvia.

Peter

reellis67 · Oct 12, 2006

It's a tough call. There are a lot of different opportunities to be had in the Fall. Like Peter, I usually shoot with black and white film, but for something like Fall where the color is the subject, color film is certainly my preferred choice. When I lived somewhere that had actual seasons I used to go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In looking back over those photographs I find that I shot a number of vistas with sweeping swaths of Autumn colors, but there are also a number of colored leaf close-ups. I would suggest working with strong contrasting colors to get the full effect. Morning mist over a golden and red stand of trees is always a nice view, and often you can get strong impressions from a single leaf placed carefully to set off the color. What ever you find, let us have a peek when you're done!

- Randy

Bob Carnie · Oct 12, 2006

Well here is my story.

Highway 118 northwest of Bracebridge Ontario, The fall colours are really blasting out at you, everywhere bright oranges,greens reds. Laura and I do a 700km drive over three day thanksgiving weekend, We almost ran over the largest wild turkey crossing the highway that I have ever scene. Heck there goes supper, Laura step on the gas.
Up in this area you really don't have to go far to find an image. As we pull over to a large pond, small lake I set up the Nobelex to take some Panoramas of this wonderful scene.
Imagine, weeds and bushes with dark water running in the foreground, a section of shimmering water with the reflections of the other shore running at me, white birches surrounded by the most glamourus array of colours you can imagine set into a muskoka rockface with wonderful deep blue skys. I am loaded up with Reala and am thinking Shit I wish the Silver Competition or Emulsion Competition will allow Colour because Alex Hawley dosen't stand a chance this time.
Can It get any better, well if you can imagine a white wild Female Swan the largest I have ever scene swims into the scene. Alex , you don't stand a chance now. I take a few award winning images and much to my suprise, another Swan Male this time comes across the lake fast towards my scene, well I am thinking Nobel Peace prize for best photograph ever.
Anyways the male has his way 20 ft from my astonished lens and then they sit crooning for at least another 20minutes right in the beauty spot of the scene. Alex , eat your heart out.
There fore to answer the question of where to take fall colours , undoubtley Muskoka and Lake of Bays have to be the best spot in the world.

srs5694 · Oct 12, 2006

My favorite fall photos (of those I've taken) are leaf close-ups. These are very tough to do well; most individual fall leaves have ugly brown blemishes. There's also the fact that the leaves often don't come out looking nearly as dramatic on film as they do in person. The best ones I've taken have water drops on them from recent rainfalls but were taken with good sunlight -- that is, there's a shower, then the weather clears up quickly. That's when to go out to get this sort of shot. Here's one I took a couple of years ago:

http://www.rodsbooks.com/leaves-2004.jpg

I suppose if you wanted to cheat, you could go out with a spray bottle filled with water to create your own "rain" on a sunny day.

copake_ham · Oct 12, 2006

Like srs5694 this year I've been taking some leaf closeups using the Macro setting on my Nikkor 28-80 zoom. This arose in part because I realized I was getting bored of shooting scenes like "Winding country lane bordered by trees ablaze with Fall colors...".

Mainly, I chose this Autumn to burn off my remaining rolls of Kodachrome 64. It's gotten too difficult to get processed (even Mr. K sends them to Dwayne's) so I figured the Fall colors was a nice way to say "goodbye" to an old friend.

We've had a very wet year and it seems as if the colors up in Copake last weekend were less spectacular and also that many trees were rather "sparse" as if they'd dropped a lot of leaves before turning. Of course every year I head the "locals" say that the colors are "off" and not as good as in the past. Do you think it's "human nature" to say such things?

BWGirl · Oct 12, 2006

yer makin' me cry here. I'm stuck in the desert while back home things are almost peak.

reellis67 · Oct 12, 2006

Jeanette,

I know what you mean... Where I live there is Summer, and a brief period of what I call 'Summer-light' which isn't that much different than Summer. Palm trees don't change color unless they die and even the oak trees keep their leaves.

- Randy

Lopaka · Oct 12, 2006

BWGirl said:
yer makin' me cry here. I'm stuck in the desert while back home things are almost peak.

Relax, Jeanette - it's snowing like crazy today and its all gone anyway.

Bob

copake_ham · Oct 12, 2006

Lopaka said:
Relax, Jeanette - it's snowing like crazy today and its all gone anyway.

Bob

Bob,

Yeah, what is going on out there? I got a call from a co-worker on a biz trip in Chicago and he said it was snowing!

For cripes sake, it's only Oct. 12th. You just keep that white stuff out there with you, okay? Don't send it eastward, for crying out loud!

Lopaka · Oct 12, 2006

copake_ham said:
Bob,

Yeah, what is going on out there? I got a call from a co-worker on a biz trip in Chicago and he said it was snowing!

For cripes sake, it's only Oct. 12th. You just keep that white stuff out there with you, okay? Don't send it eastward, for crying out loud!

George, last week end we were barbequing on the deck. Now we are getting a hard freeze. Not that uncommon for changes this time of year. A bit early for snow though. Not any real accumulation in this neck of the woods, but parts of Mich upper peninsula getting 1 to 2 feet. The four seasons here are: almost winter, winter, still winter and hotter than hell.

Bob

naturephoto1 · Oct 12, 2006

Here are a series of some of my perennially good sellers of color change at Art Shows. They are also in my Gallery if you need to get information about the images.

Rich

nc5p · Oct 12, 2006

I took the Mamiya 645 up the Pino trail yesterday. I shoot the aspens on TMX with a yellow filter and the results are rather pleasing. The leaves look almost white. Seems the b&w are more interesting looking than the color shots. There was a bit of snow left from Monday. Unfortunately the leaves on the wet ground were rotting very fast. Also there are a lot of "tree-pods" to use. I shot a lot at 1/30 and 1/15 with the mirror locked up on the tree-pods. The 35mm lens gets most of it in and allows for some error when locking the mirror and then shooting. I wanted to bring a tripod but packing it into a wilderness area it was just too much weight and bulk.

Timing the trip is difficult, if you go too soon the leaves are still green, wait too long and they all are on the ground and rotted.

Earl Dunbar · Oct 12, 2006

Bob Carnie said:
Well here is my story.

Highway 118 northwest of Bracebridge Ontario, The fall colours are really blasting out at you, everywhere bright oranges,greens reds.

<snip>

There fore to answer the question of where to take fall colours , undoubtley Muskoka and Lake of Bays have to be the best spot in the world.

Bob, I agree, and can add the Bruce Peninsula. I remember being at a ranch/resort one year in autumn, getting up early and having a field day. The grey split-rail fences, mist in the morning ... colours popped and K25 was like heaven in a light-tight box.

Bromo33333 · Oct 13, 2006

naturephoto1 said:
Here are a series of some of my perennially good sellers of color change at Art Shows. They are also in my Gallery if you need to get information about the images.

Rich

I can see why they sell well - they are gorgeous!

Bromo33333 · Oct 13, 2006

copake_ham said:
Bob,

Yeah, what is going on out there? I got a call from a co-worker on a biz trip in Chicago and he said it was snowing!

For cripes sake, it's only Oct. 12th. You just keep that white stuff out there with you, okay? Don't send it eastward, for crying out loud!

I am glad I am in Rochester and not Buffalo - they got 2' and counting! We missed the worst of it - a light dusting and it melted right away.

Seems Buffalo is paralyzed - given this is a big surprise and I doubt they were ready since this is unseasonally early (in the regular part of winter, this would not have been a giant deal as they have tons of salt and high speed high volume snow removal equipment).

As of yeasterday, I got some colors, though it was so dark that it is likely to be mighty grainy given the film I am using. And the trees seem to have lost a lot of leaves already - so it will be an interetsing exercise as long as it isn't an exercise in snow.......

Lopaka · Oct 18, 2006

Northern Michigan last week - just before the snowstorm!

Bob

Peter De Smidt · Oct 18, 2006

So the first picture is of Upper Tequomonon falls, but where's the other one? Both are very nice photos!

Lopaka · Oct 18, 2006

Peter De Smidt said:
So the first picture is of Upper Tequomonon falls, but where's the other one? Both are very nice photos!

Thanks. The second is the Tahquamenon River above the lower falls.

Bob

metod · Oct 18, 2006

Fall is my favorite season and that's when I stash a lot of color film. I like to get out when it is drizzling, or right after the rain. It is a completely different world, everything is nicely saturated. Maybe a few tips.... try double exposures, one sharp, one out of focus on the same frame. Or even better 20, 30 exposures on the same frame when is windy. You'll get that dreamy effect. Just don't forget to compensate with iso setting. Try very fast film...the grain can add a nice touch to the colors. Don't forget to try the polizer; it can do the wonders sometimes. Watch for the background, it can make or break the image. Try to play with the complimentary colors for your subject and the background. If you have depth of the field preview, don't forget to peek through before you click the shutter. Those things I try to remind myself when I shoot the nature in the fall.

Cheers

Peter De Smidt · Oct 18, 2006

Hi Bob,

Oh right. I've photographed around there a couple of times. Unfortunately, it's a looong drive from where I live.

zenrhino · Oct 21, 2006

No place in the world more beautiful in the fall than the Ozarks.

I just got back from a week down there and caught the color at its peak. And a dozen or so rainbow trout!

Bromo33333 · Oct 21, 2006

zenrhino said:
No place in the world more beautiful in the fall than the Ozarks.

I just got back from a week down there and caught the color at its peak. And a dozen or so rainbow trout!

Funny - While Fall is spectacular, the steamy, hilly green during the late summar (August) shot in the early morning makes some spectacular scenery.

RAP · Oct 21, 2006

RAP · Oct 22, 2006

More NJ, first one is from my back yard, the other two are the Delaware Water Gap, the falls are Buttermilk Falls

Fall Colors ... !

Bromo33333

thefizz

reellis67

Bob Carnie

srs5694

copake_ham

BWGirl

reellis67

Lopaka

copake_ham

Lopaka

naturephoto1

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nc5p

Earl Dunbar

Bromo33333

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Lopaka

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Peter De Smidt

Lopaka

metod

Peter De Smidt

zenrhino

Bromo33333

RAP

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Fall Colors ... !

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