Autumn in New England
October 14, 2017
It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler, and the plant life is becoming a riot of color. Autumn is one of my four most favorite seasons. You can have beautiful blue-sky days, with the sun shining on all the vibrant colors, and the entire landscape appearing to glow. Then, other days can have dull gray skies with rain pouring down and wind battering the countryside, tearing the leaves off the trees. The transformation of the region is amazing and can happen in just a few short weeks. As a photographer, it can be so very rewarding, but it can also be extremely frustrating, if we let it.
Baxter State Park, Maine
Baxter State Park, Maine When people think of autumn in New England, the first thing that comes to mind is the wonderful fall foliage. It’s harder than you might imagine to get great photos of the foliage, if you’re thinking in terms of big scenics. Sometimes, when you’re driving, you see all this color and get so excited. You find a spot to pull over and then discover that trying to capture it through the lens just isn’t possible. The composition just isn’t working because your eyes see so much and your brain processes so much, you just can’t fit it all in. Or, conversely, because you’re driving, your brain’s blurring some of the detail, and when you stop to compose the image, there’s too much other distracting stuff detracting from the scene that just can’t be eliminated from the frame. Other times, you might be driving and see some glorious color and be completely unable to do anything about it. You might be in a hurry to get somewhere with no time to spare, such as a doctor’s appointment. You might be on the highway where stopping isn’t allowed. Or, you might be on a narrow road with high traffic and no way to pull over. I had a situation like that just this last weekend, several times in one day. First, it was pouring buckets out, but there was one section of road where all the trees were absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a line of cars, all doing 50 mph, and with the rain sheeting down, I didn’t feel it was safe to try and pull over spontaneously. Then, about an hour or so later, the rain stopped, the sun peeked out, and the mist started rising from the forest, but I wasn’t anywhere I could make a decent photograph; it was all glimpses here and there that my brain put together to paint a beautiful image. Then, a few hours later, I was driving along a narrow twisty road with a lot of traffic. Every time I went around another bend, the sun was illuminating a different batch of trees, all awash in spectacular color and glimmering with light bouncing off the water droplets from the rain earlier. But, there wasn’t anywhere I could pull over. So, when these situations happen to you, I urge you to do what I did. Don’t let it frustrate you. Instead, be glad you had the opportunity to witness such beauty and enjoy your time out there.
White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire Like all big scenics, you have to have a good composition and good light for it to really be great. But, with foliage, the light is even more crucial for the colors to really feel alive. So, if you’re having a day where the light isn’t there and the landscape seems dull and gray, don’t despair. Avoid trying for the big scenics. Instead, look for more detail shots, close-ups, and intimate landscapes that still tell the story of fall. Go for a hike in the woods. Under the canopy, you won’t see the sky. Make sure you use a polarizer filter, if you have one; it can really make the colors seem more vibrant. Look all around you. Leaves and needles on the forest floor will be rich in color and can contrast nicely with the greens and browns and grays.
Close-up of a maple leaf in the midst of changing colors. White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
Fall is a great time for fungi, so be on the lookout for mushrooms in all sorts of places inside the woods. Look for babbling brooks with colorful trees lining their banks. If the trees nearby are still green, you may yet get lucky and find some leaves that have turned color and dropped onto the rocks and into the water. If you’re looking for color but can’t do the big scenics because of the weather and lighting conditions, there are still plenty of photo opportunities. And, remember, trees aren’t the only things to change; ferns, berry bushes, sumac, cattails, marsh grass, and other plant life all go through changes, as well.
Another thing you can do if you really want to work on capturing the colors of autumn, no matter what the skies and lighting conditions are like, is creative blurs. This can be anything from simply manually unfocusing the lens to intentionally blur the image to doing various types of motion blur. For motion blur, you want the shutter speed to be nice and slow. Then, you can try moving the camera while the shutter’s open. If tree trunks are in the frame, panning the camera vertically works well. But, horizontal, diagonal, and jiggly can all work well in the right situation, too. You can try doing small movements, big movements, fast or slow movements. You can try leaving the camera still for part of the time the shutter’s open, then moving it for the rest of the time. If you have a zoom lens, you can try doing zoom blurs where you zoom in or out while the shutter’s open. All of these types of blur can be a great way to highlight the color in the scene while removing distracting elements. It’s really a lot of fun to experiment and see what pops up on the LCD; you never know what you’ll end up with, so get out there and give it a whirl.
Blur from unfocusing my lens. This can give the image an impressionistic feel. White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
It is a great time to go hiking, to truly immerse yourself in all the colors of fall. However, in New England, this also means it’s hunting season. There are different types of hunting (black powder, archery, deer, turkey, etc) at different times and in different areas. You need to be sure to find out what type of hunting, if any, is happening in the area and time you want to hike so you can be prepared and stay safe. For example, during rifle deer season, you must wear two articles of ‘hunter orange’ when going into the fields or woods. Generally speaking, no hunting is allowed on Sundays, so that’s always a great time for a hike.
Great blue heron fishing at Moosehead Lake. I spotted this fellow while out on the hunt for some stunning fall foliage. Taunton & Raynham Academy Grant, Maine And, of course, the same things that make it great for hunting make it great for wildlife photography. All the animals are more active, getting ready for the winter, but the moose, deer, and turkey especially so. The males can be quite oblivious as they concentrate all their attention on each other and on the females. This increased activity gives you greater chances of locating wildlife and spending time in their presence for photography. Remember, for your safety and the animal’s, don’t get too close to a moose or bear, or any animal for that matter, and try never to come between animals, whether two males, a male and female, or a mother and offspring, of any species. If you’re lucky enough to spot an animal from the road, stay inside your vehicle, as they make great blinds and are less likely to spook the wildlife. So, whether you go for a hike or a drive, no matter what the weather’s doing, keep a sharp eye out for critters as another potential subject for your lens. You can even hire a guide or sign up for a specialized moose-watching tour to better your odds.
While fall is a great time for foliage and for wildlife, it’s important to remember that autumn in New England is more than that. It’s also a time of harvest. Early in the season, apple orchards are teeming with plump juicy red apples of many varieties, all of which make great photos, and are delicious to boot. As you drive about the region, pay attention to the farmland. If you time it right, you might get images of locals tending their crops, hay bales dotting the fields, and cornrows ripe for picking. Some farms offer hayrides, pick your own pumpkins, and corn mazes, all fun activities and opportunities for more great images. So, get out there and photograph and experience all the things harvest-time in New England has to offer. Make sure to have some warm mulled apple cider and pumpkin pie along the way.
Apples nearly ready to be picked at a local apple orchard. Lyman, Maine
Finally, autumn also means Halloween. Many towns will have harvest and Halloween decorations lining the streets, at businesses, and in people’s yards and front stoops. A lot of places have scarecrow contests with a multitude of ingenious scarecrows dotting the area. Some will have carved jack-o-lanterns all aglow at night. There are numerous cemeteries in the region, some of which have headstones going back centuries, some of which are little forgotten pieces of history scattered throughout the woodlands and fields. Any of these will make for great photography, especially in mist or fog or lit by moonlight and especially later in the season when the branches are bare and skeletal-looking. Use the atmosphere to your advantage, rather than railing against it. If you’re a history buff or like the spooky side of things, take a jaunt down to Salem, Massachusetts and explore the town’s history with the infamous Salem Witch Trials. And, of course, there’s Halloween itself with all the kids dressed up in costumes.
Small farm stand with fall harvest offerings. Hollis, Maine
So, remember, autumn in New England really is more than just beautiful foliage. There is so much to see and do here. It can be an immensely satisfying season for photographers, with plenty of images just waiting to be made, if you open your mind to the possibilities. Don’t let yourself get frustrated. Instead, look for other subject matter or techniques that will compliment the situation and help tell the story of fall. And, most importantly, enjoy this wonderful time of year and all it has to offer.
Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts
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