Autumn Leaves
by Mickey Maguire
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Autumn is finally upon us and the leaves are changing to their "fall colors" everywhere you look. When autumn colors reach there peak varies by geographic region and can change with prevailing weather conditions. Rain will delay fall foliage as will unseasonable warmth. In mid Ohio, this year, we have had a long summer, so to speak. We have not had a hard frost, yet, and the leaves are just really coming into autumn splendor.
My photo business partner, Jerry Wright, and I planned a run to Hocking Hills and Lake Logan in southeastern Ohio. We wanted to catch the leaves and their fall color display and still get other shots of interest. We found one problem just about everyone will encounter when they plan a leaf peeping photo shoot. There were people everywhere. We planned to shoot fall colors, not tourists. We didn't quite follow our original agenda simply because our planned stops were jam-packed and we know from experience that landscape photography in Old Man's Cave (Hocking Hills State Forest) is all but impossible when there are crowds of people and, boy, was it crowded Saturday! Our alternative shooting spot was Lake Logan and a little farther north was Tar Hollow State Park. We took several shots at the Lake before heading north to Tar Hollow. The shot above is Lake Logan. This small lake (a bit under 400 acres) is nestled in the trees and surrounded by rolling hills. The lake itself hosts a healthy population of blue heron, egret, swans, and lots of ducks. There were also marshes at the northern-most end of the lake and penninsulas that offer good photography vantage points. Leaves are not the only things of interest at Lake Logan and I'll wager that the same holds true just about anywhere. The lmages below were taken on this same day.
Bulrushes, or "cat tails" in colloquial terms, are everywhere and they are at their best this time of year. I took this shot from one of the penninsulas at the upper end of the lake. There are still autumn colors in the shot (reflected in the water). The shot on the right (above) is a vertical composition of fruit hanging on a tree beside the lake. This tree (sorry, don't know what it is) was filled with grape-like clusters of these orange colored berries. I shot this cluster to catch their textures. They looked almost like miniature pumpkins hanging from a tree. |
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The farther north you go, this time of year, the more you should find trees in fall colors. The Columbus Metro Parks were still too green to catch the kind of fall shots we wanted. Jerry hit a few spots earlier in the week and by the weekend, we still had not had cold enough nights and there was too much rain. Oddly, Lake Logan is south a good distance, but they did not have all the rainfall Columbus received. Leaves turn faster in dry conditions. Here are some other shots we took this trip:
The left shot (above) shows deep crimson maple leaves. I took the shot to illustrate that you don't have to shoot from a distance or take classic landscapes, you can also frame your shots very tightly and get great detail. Not long after this shot was taken, though, it was too windy to catch this level of detail. At that point, I took shots like the one on the right.
Don't overlook opportunities to take shots like the one in the middle. These little blossoms were a challenge to catch in the breeze. They did not sit still very long. I was patient and waited for a good opportunity to click the shutter. As you can see, the moment arrived and I took the shot. I waited probably ten minutes or so before I had that chance.
I plan to get out at least a couple more times before the trees drop their leaves. The problem with years like this one is that we could finally get a cold snap and overnight the trees would be barren. It is raining today, though, and that means we just might have another good weekend of photo opportunities if we are lucky.
Don't forget your polarized filters when you take autumn leaf photo trips. Not only will you enjoy blue skies in many of your shots, the filter will help cut the glare you'll get on dry leaves, roads, and lakes. A tripod may come in handy, too. I never leave home without one.
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