Last Mum

An up close picture of the last of the fall mums. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro with LED Litepnael.

Fall in the City

The yellow and gold colors of fall grace the east end of Freemason Street in downtown Norfolk Virginia. Canon G11, 1/30 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400.

Fall Explosion

Time for a little explosion of fall color. Canon 7D, 1/5 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Vail Mountain

Still sharing some of my Colorado pictures on the blog. This is the view from the top of Vail Mountain looking down into the "bowl." You can see a grove of aspen trees, and then bands of thick green pines and the cleared sky run areas. I was at about 10,500 feet for this shot. Canon 5D, Mark II, 1/100 sec @ f/18.0, ISO 200, 105mm focal length.

Reach for the Sky

These aspen trees reach for the sky with their bright yellow fall leaves and white bark contrasting nicely with the blue sky. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/320 sec @ f/14.0, ISO 200, 24mm focal length.

Piney Lake

Piney Lake is the highest elevation lake you can drive to in Colorado at 9,350 feet. The journey is just a spectacular as the view from the lake. You drive 10 miles on a dirt road full of switchbacks and white knuckle, right on the edge turns. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/250 sec @ f/14.0, ISO 200, zoom at 88mm focal length.

Aspen Glow

The aspen trees just glow in the fall afternoon light near Vail Colorado. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/100 sec @ f/22.0, ISO 400, 65mm focal length.

Sawatch Range

The Sawatch Range in central Colorado taken from atop Vail Mountain. Canon 5D Mark II, 1/200 sec @ f/16.0, ISO 200, zoom at 70mm focal length.

Lavender Mum

This lavender mum came back from last year. It's a different color for fall. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Thankful

Thankful for blue skies, fall colors, red roses, and the freedom to enjoy it all. Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100.

Fall Colors

- Red maple leaves backlit by the morning sun let us know that fall is in full swing in our little corner of southeast Virginia. Late summer rain and a very warm past two months have combined to produce one of the most spectacular fall foliage seasons that I can remember. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 100.

325 - Bloodgood

From 365 Project

My Bloodgood Japanese Maple is showing off some remarkable red colors this fall. The Bloodgood is one of the most popular of the Japanese Maples and is the parent of many other newer cultivars. Canon 7D, 1/60 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100 supplemental lighting provided by two off-camera flashes at 1/4 power.

314 - Spinning

From 365 Project

The fall colors had me spinning today. It was an overcast day and I was looking for a photo where I wouldn't have too much of a blah sky in the image. I saw this colorful tree off Westover Avenue in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood and tried a camera rotation technique that I read about in a book by Bryan Peterson on understanding exposure. The camera is pointed up from under the tree and rotated during exposure. Canon G10, 1/4 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200 with the camera's electronic neutral density filter enabled.

313 - Golden Time

From 365 Project

The low afternoon sun is behind this maple tree and lighting up the yellow and gold leaves. The fall transition has accelerated with the cool nights we had last week. Canon G10, 1/1000 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 200.

309 - Color Bomb

From 365 Project

Fall colors explode from this maple tree with a little help from the camera's zoom blur. Canon 7D, 1/5 sec @ f/9.0, ISO 200 with a variable neutral density filter set at 4 stops of light reduction. The effect is completely done in camera with the saturation pumped up a little in Lightroom. I was pleased with the "impressionistic" effect.

308 - Oh, What a Tangled Web She Weaves

From 365 Project

I know spiders creep out some of my loyal followers but this will probably be the last one as the spiders are getting scarce now. For some weeks now she has been building her orbweb just outside the side door at the house. Tonight's web was pretty spectacular and so it ends up as today's photo. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/25 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 50mm macro lens.

301 - Departure

From 365 Project

This week's spooky theme continues. I saw this straggly tree with a little color in the old Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk Virginia. I was playing around with motion zoom technique and captured this eerie looking image. Canon 7D, 1/3 sec @ f/13.0, ISO 200 with a variable neutral density dialed in to block about 5 stops of light. With the resulting relatively slow shutter speed, I was able to zoom out while the shutter was open creating the "jump to light speed" look.

295 - Eating Out of My Hand

From 365 Project

He had 'em eating out of his hand. My grandson Robert feeding the goats during our trip to the Hunt Club Farm and pumpkin patch this afternoon. It was a great afternoon - hay ride, big pile of hay, lots of goats, chickens and other animals, and of course pumpkins everywhere. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 44 mm focal length.

287 - Signs of the Season

From 365 Project

Today was our first fall day with crisp cool autumn temperatures. My first attempt at a blog photo was a dismal failure. It was a good picture concept but poorly executed and not worthy of your time or attention. So my wife Cindy came to the rescue with this fall season setup idea. At first the gourds alone weren't doing much so she tossed in some candy corn and voila a picture of the day. Canon Rebel XTi, 1/250 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 100, 30mm prime lens and two off-camera flashes.