Leaf Peeping

We drove up to Flagstaff Sunday and joined the masses of leaf peepers driving the road to Snow Bowl to enjoy the fall color. We stopped at Aspen Corner and walked around admiring the aspens that have turned to gold. They are a week or two from their peak color, but this was likely the only time we would be able to drive up there. We continued on to Snow Bowl (the ski resort), where there was even more fall color. It was a great day to be out in nature!

Band of Gold

Here is one of the views along Hwy 395 between Mammoth Lakes and Bodie. The aspens were in their full glory during our visit, and wherever there was a viewpoint, we would stop and admire the splashes of gold set against the mountain backdrop. Others were stopping too, and we all would smile as we exchanged shooting positions and comment on how lucky we were to be there at the perfect time.

Fall Tapestry

Fall has arrived here with cooler temperatures, some rain, and a lot of WIND! We actually turned the fireplace on last night during Monday night football (okay, I was doing genealogy on my iPhone…). We haven’t made it up to Flagstaff to see the aspens- so here’s an image from last year.

Simply Fall

Before I set up last week’s still life with the milk can, wheat, lantern and a multitude of pumpkins, I set up a simpler scene on a table for a test shot as I checked the focus and exposure. I soon realized that there wasn’t enough room for everything on the table and decided to move the whole tableau to the floor by the front door. After I finished editing that image, which I took to my photo group, I came across my original test shot. It is a much simpler composition and is edited fairly simply with an added texture- and (shhhhh…) I prefer this one.

Autumn Vibes

Fall is in the air- or at least it feels that way. It’s a bit cooler, it gets dark earlier, and there is a breeze. So even though the official start of fall is a couple days away, the autumn vibes inspired me to create my first still life of the season.

Not Yet

We had heard that the aspens were beginning to turn up at Flagstaff, so we headed up there yesterday to see what we could see. As you can tell from the photo, there are signs that Fall is on its way, but we will have to make a return trip to see the aspens in all their glory. Have I mentioned that Fall is my favorite season?

Fall, sort of . . .

 

Our walk at Willow Lake showed us that Fall is on its way (some yellow leaves), but drought has caused the lake to recede and plants to dry up and wither. What used to be under water is now mud. Many trees still have green leaves however, which created the green bokeh areas in the background of my photo. We are looking forward to some colder weather and hopefully rain in the coming weeks.