Autumn Revisited

The Color is Gone, But not Forgotten
Mine Ledge, Hinsdale, NH

Hemlock Gateway, Colors at Home

There are still patches of brown foliage on the oaks and the persistent yellow of the beach groves, but my New England autumn is winding down to the last gasps.  As always, I'm exhausted and ready for long quiet hours with a cup of coffee at my desk working through the hundreds of late September and October images.  I say it every year, but it is worth repeating, thank god for the dull colors of November!

Otter Brook, Roxbury, NH

As I work my way through the autumn splendor, this seems like a good time to review the season and share some of this year's bounty.   I'll let Jeff Foliage provide the final official verdict, but overall I think it was a good fall, not the best for weather or color but probably a bit better than average. The color seemed to come early, but I suspect this is a general manifestation of the warming climate.  We had one major wind and rain storm in early October which striped some of the brightest color.  The weather was often overcast, but that is not a tragedy for the capture of the rich colors of the season and the rain managed to keep the streams flowing.  As always, the season was expanded by small patches of early color in the damp areas and by the surprising color in the occasional late bloomers.  

Vermont's Route 100

Top of the Valley, Hnacock Vt

Most years I try to get a head start on the color by heading north.  This year I traveled up Route 100 along the central spine of Vermont.  My eventual goal was the dramatic Moss Glen Falls in Granville, Vermont.  The falls were great especially during the brief periods when the bright sun slipped behind the clouds.  There

Moss Glen Swirl, Granville, Vt

was quite a crowd at this road-side attraction, but I was still able to catch some nice fresh angles on this old favorite.  The trip was about 100 miles each way and it gave me the opportunity to judge the progress of the fall change and get an early sense of the quality of the color.  On that day, in late September, the foliage seemed to blossom around the Killington area.

 

Autumn Boil, Chester, VT

 

Camden Harbor Sunrise

A Maine Coast Escape

Just as the colors were building at home Susan and I headed over to the Camden area to spend a few days on the Maine Coast. It was a lovely escape.  The colors were a bit early along the shore, but I did get some nice shots of the morning light on Camden and Lincolnville Harbors and a lovely sunset at the always dramatic Marshal Point Light.  I was nervous about missing some of the best color at home, but it was while we were away that the intense wind and rain storm hit the Monadnock region.  

 

Marshall Point Light, Port Clyde, Maine

  



 

Hancock, NH

The damage was not as bad as I had feared but the storm did seem to accelerate the season.  Of course through all of this I spent every available moment looking for color throughout the region.  I roamed the back roads of both the Monadnock Region and southern Vermont, simultaneously scanning for grand landscapes and intimate color details.  It was enough to make me dizzy, but there was always the feeling that any time spent away would mean risking the one spectacular image of the year.  I was convinced that the best weather was confined to the days that I was stuck in the office.  In other words, I was fully captured by Autumn Fever. 

 

Follow the Color

As usual, this year I tried to extend the season by following the

Pumpkin Festival Race, Keene, NH

color from north to south.   It started with a drive up Route 100 to Moss Glenn Falls, and our sea coast interlude.  In the middle of the season, I explored more locally including lovely farm land in Chesterfield, Walpole, Hancock and southeastern Vermont.  We had great weather for the Keene Pumpkin Festival and when I wasn’t lighting candles I got nice light both early in the morning and at night in the midst of the celebration of Keene’s new World Record for lit Pumpkins (30,581).  As the colors began to fade locally I went south to shoot at Doane’s Falls in Royalston Massachusetts.

 

Doanes Falls, Royalston, Ma.

Embrace the Clouds

Field of Asters, Walpole, NH
Limit the Sky

Throughout the season we had a mix of sunny and overcast / misty weather.  In general, I prefer the softer light which allows the autumn colors to shine through the glare.  The keys to shooting in overcast conditions are to concentrate on more intimate colorful scenes rather than grand hillside panoramas, and to limit or eliminate the dull gray skis.  Problems with flat uninteresting skies have been improved with the capability of powerful editing software, such as Photoshop and Lightroom 5 to salvage detail in the

Color and Sky, Walpole, NH
Embrace the Sky

highlights.  Although zooming in on the color is still a good solution, I find recently that I have been including more brooding gray skies in my images. A polarizing filter is a must on bright days, but it can also add depth to the color when the light is diffused.  The effect is often subtle but noticeable especially if the leaves are damp and reflective.  The combination of soft light and a polarizer is also the best combination for capturing lacy waterfalls against the autumn glow.

Tame the Brilliance

Hunts Pond, Hancock, NH

We had a few classic brilliantly sunny days this year.  These are the days that most often come to mind when we think of the “glorious colors” of fall, but they do offer special challenges for photography.  The high contrast and reflections tend to mute the colors, but here again a polarizing filter can make a

Reflected Sunset, Chesterfield, NH

significant difference.  Sunny days are best for broader autumn landscapes, but on these days I most often think about looking into the sun.  The trans-illuminating light works to ignite the foliage.  The effect is especially striking when the electric yellows and reds are contrasted against a deep blue sky. Of course we need sunlight to capture beautiful sunrises and sunsets, but the the most dramatic results come from a mixture of light and clouds. The warm light of the golden hours can only be fully appreciated by capturing what it illuminates, and, when there are no clouds, we often need to step back and celebrate the glow on the foreground elements.

Trans-illumination, College Bridge, Henniker, NH

 

Well I have to get back to work.  I love settling back and scanning my images from the season.  Each time I find new perspectives and I can't wait to discover the beauty which is held within those little piles of pixels.  Stay tuned.

Bald Mountain, Camden Maine

Camden and the Middle Coast of Maine

Marshall Point Light

A Couple of Days Exploring the Maine Coast

The only thing that I really regret about living in the Monadnock Region is the lack of easily accessible ocean.  Whenever I return to the coast I find fresh subjects to invigorate my photographic eye.  The Camden area, in  Maine’s middle coast, is a great region for finding new perspectives on New England's Atlantic edge.

While growing up, my parents kept a small boat on Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts and I spent all my summers cruising around the harbor in my little 8 foot tender with its sputtering thre horsepower motor.  Every summer we took a long cruise of 3-6 weeks exploring the New England coast.  Most often we headed south to the Cape and Elizabeth Islands, but occasionally we would turn north to the Maine Coast which was an entirely different experience.  

I love whenever I get the opportunity to return to the ocean and especially to the Maine coast.  It is a different kind of photography, with subjects laid out against the distant, rod straight, blue horizon, the detail of the fishing and lobstering industry, and the light, which has a sharper quality unfiltered by hills and trees.  I know, light is light, but there is a difference which is felt more than seen.  And of course, there are the lighthouses which have an irresistible attraction.

 

Early this week Sue and I got away for a few days to the mid Maine Coast around Camden.  We stayed at a friend's house, high on a mountain in Lincolnville, just inland from Camden Harbor.  The weather was variable, with fog and rain the first day, slowly clearing over the rest of our stay.  The variable conditions gave me the chance to photograph the coast and the early fall colors in a wide range of moods.  





Evening Fog Devenseller Mt,
Lincolnville, Me

Fog is Great!  Rain, Not So Much
Our first day was largely a rain-out with the drizzle only broken by periodic downpours.  As I was shooting the Lobster boats at Lincolnville Beach, I was drenched by a sudden downpour even though I was only feet from the car.  Thank goodness I had a towel over my camera.  I tend to dry out better than the equipment.  We spent of the day exploring the coast north of Camden including the quaint seaside village of Bayside.  We spent the night in the wind, and fog at our friends snug mountainside retreat.






Lincolnville Storm.  Before the Deluge

Lincolnville Beach
The forecast looked better for the next day and I returned to

Lincolnville Fleet

Lincolnville Beach to try for a sunrise.  The beach has a good view to the east and the Photographer's Ephemeris showed that I could catch the lobster boats and pier against the rising sun.  Unfortunately the clouds from the departing storm still obscured the eastern horizon, but with some diffused light coming through I was able to catch the boats in harbor before they headed out to their traps.  There was actually more interest along the shore.  The mud flats were exposed by the low tide revealing interesting patterns in the rocks, and I was also able to slowly approach a heron who was preoccupied with fishing in the shallow tidal waters.  I made the best of the conditions then headed south to Camden Harbor.

Tidal Flat Fisher

Camden

Camden Anchors

The morning sun had broken above the clouds by the time I reached Camden.  Camden is a classic Maine harbor noted for its beautiful stately schooner fleet and the hordes of tourists who clog the streets and docks, but in the early morning the warm light and quiet make it a magical place.     The tall ships provide great opportunities to catch nautical detail as

Camden Forest

well as grand views through the forest of soaring masts.  Camden's schooner fleet is available for cruises of varying duration.  On previous visits we have enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Appledore and, one summer, Susan and I  spent a week exploring Penobscot Bay on the Grace Bailey. The magic couldn’t last forever and as the crowds began to gather I headed home for breakfast.

Sunset Helm, Schooner Appledore

Camden Skiff

 

















Bald Mountain
Camden is surrounded by dramatic hills, most famously, Mount Battie which looms over the harbor and is accessible by trails and an auto road.   The view is spectacular, but the summit is often crowded.  On this trip we escaped the mob and climbed Bald Mountain. The mountain is a few miles inland from Camden, but at 1260 feet, its bare summit provides an excellent panoramic view of the coast including Camden and Rockport. The trail is a bit rugged, but quickly breaks above tree line, providing frequent stopping points with excellent vistas. And without an auto road the summit was peaceful and quiet.

Camden Harbor From Bald Mountain

Port Clyde and Marshall Point Light
In the evening I decided to head south to Port Clyde and the classic

Port Clyde Traps

Marshall Point Lighthouse.  Port Clyde is a working fishing village with great collections of lobster traps, buoys and lines, which seem to be arranged solely for the benefit of passing photographers.  I visited Port Clyde several years ago as part of a wonderful Maine Media workshop with David Middleton, and the place has not changed. After collecting my share of authentic lobstering images, I headed down the road to catch the sunset at Marshall Point Light.  The lighthouse was built in 1857 and is famous for the sturdy keeper’s house (circa 1885) and the walkway leading to the light itself.  All this provided interesting photographic perspectives which continuously evolved as the sun settled below the horizon.  Perhaps most interesting was the opportunity to chat with the other photographers who had traveled to capture the magic.   One gentleman from New York joined me in

Marshall Point Frame

an elaborate dance of moving tripods, trying not to block each other’s shots while simultaneously calculating how to steal the best angles.  While we restlessly roamed about, a photographer from Germany stayed fixed to one spot on the keeper's house porch, periodically capturing bursts of images for HDR.  He was waiting for the perfect light.  Happily there was plenty of perfect light to go around and I hope he found his.  He was still there as the light faded through the blue hour and I had to reluctantly retreat to make a reservation for dinner with friends in Rockland.  It had been a long day and I had my priorities.







We worked our way back home the next day.  The weather and our

Curtis Island Light

limited time allowed us to sample only a small part of the beauty of this lovely piece of the Maine coast, but it was a fantastic escape.  Throughout Susan was reasonably patient with my photographic
stops and side trips.  On the way out we made one last stop at a nearly hidden vista that provided an angle on the Curtis Island Lighthouse.  The light guards Camden's outer harbor, but it is usually best seen from the sea.  This spot off the coast road revealed the lighthouse in the late morning light, but the best part was that on the short path to the viewpoint Susan actually carried my tripod!  It must have been the magic of the coast.  I have to get back soon.


Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com