“Observation Deck, Evening” — The day’s last sunlight on an observation deck and trees.
This is a place I visit frequently, to the point that some individual trees start to feel like old friends. Among these trees there is a small observation platform, placed there for people who wish to view birds in the nearby ponds. I have stood on the platform many times!
I would not usually photograph this scene — though I have done so in thick fog on a few occasions. But on this evening the scene was a bit special. The warm late-day light was part of it, and the reflection was clear in the unusually still water.
“Autumn Black Oak Trees” — Black oak trees with autumn foliage on a hazy day in Yosemite Valley.
I have photographed in Yosemite since I was literally a child. (The first “serious ” photograph I recall making was on a family trip to the Valley when I scrambled up a little hill to find a composition of a dome framed by tree branches.) The Valley remains one of the most astonishing sights on the planet, with features that are darned near unbelievable. But after decades of photographing there, when I visit now I look for other things than the icons.
Admittedly these black oaks have become almost iconic, though they aren’t a recognizable feature in the way that Half Dome or Yosemite Falls are. There’s no one particular feature, but rather a playground of textures and colors and lines to work with. I stop and photograph here on almost every visit.
“Morning Fog, Autumn Forest” — Morning fog darkens a dense autumn forest.
Sometimes there are photographs in (almost) your own backyard. As much as anyone else, I enjoy traveling to beautiful places to make photographs. But I can’t go to such places all the time, so it is fortunate that there are plenty of interesting things to see close by. In my area that might include the redwoods or the Pacific Ocean… or just a nearby rural area at the right time of year.
I made this photograph along a road that is far from famous. (Perhaps the only people who would know about it are those who pass by on their way to a nearby local park with hiking trails). But around here, in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are lots of little spots where trees grow thickly and where fall colors continue right on into December.
“Oak Among The Conifers” — A solitary autumn black oak tree at the edge of a grove of conifers.
Every so often I think about how photographers captured images of fall “color” in the era of black and white photography, and I have to try my hand at it once again. Obviously the usual approach — finding some brilliant color and then emphasizing it in the photograph — won’t work here. Instead, contrast with darker surroundings could be one way to evoke the brilliance of autumn foliage.
Although this small black oak appears alone in the photograph, it has other oak neighbors nearby. What sets it apart apart is that it grows against a backdrop of a very dark and thick conifer forest. I’ve watched this tree for years, and the contrast can be quite compelling in the fall.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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