Like a broken record….I left the house this morning with some openings in the cloudy sky and hoping the sun would be able to get through them for a nice start to what was forecast to eventually be a rainy day. The closer I got to Quabbin, the more obvious it became that the clouds were filling the horizon. Plan B.
The shoreline of Quabbin is visible in a few spots along Route 122 in New Salem. The road is not terribly busy, so shooting at the edge can be done in relative safety as long as you pay attention…not easy for one who gets wrapped up in his subjects. But I do manage to hear approaching cars and stay safe….unless, of course, we are talking electric vehicles.
I was hoping to find a single tree with yellow leaves against an all evergreen background for a black and white composition. Instead, I found this.
I think I will keep the color in this one. But if you are missing monochrome, here it is from this past March.
The techs are 5D Mark II, 300mmf/4+1.4Teleconverter+Circular Polarizer, f/8@1/4sec, ISO 100, tripod and remote. That was all the reach I have and I did crop a bit around all edges. At first I felt it would have been better to just have the birch and conical trees along with some of the upper foliage, but decided that was too much crop plus I like the hint of a possible path at the left which is so contrary to the rule of keeping interest in the frame and not leading out. As well, I think it works better within the context of the surrounds a little bit rather than filling the frame.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Steve, I love this as well as the B&W. I look forward to your daily treats!
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Thanks, Faith. I am glad you are enjoying the images. Hope you are doing well.
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The scene is lovely but for some reason I think the monochrome has more appeal. I like the layers of dark to light in the monochrome and the barren tree lends some drama to the photo.
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The B&W definitely has some strong elements, Yvonne, and is definitely more dramatic.
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Not a broken record. A lovely refrain! I like the layers of color in this image.
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Thank you, Deborah. The broken record was the sky closing up on me. 🙂
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Almost everyone below a certain (and ever-increasing) age has no idea what you mean when you talk about something repeating like a broken record.
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Excellent Steve! I don’t get to see fall foliage colors here at the beach.
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Thanks, Phil. Surprisingly, I don’t get to see many gators here. 🙂
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You may not have swung it with your original conception of “a single tree with yellow leaves against an all evergreen background for a black and white composition,” but you’ve reminded us of the last line a well-known poem by Robert Frost: “One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.”
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Or as a slinger of birches in my case.
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Why not portrait style? 😉
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Because there were elements in the foreground I did not care for (rippling water on a breezy day) and the top would have been white sky. I did not want a square crop so trimming those off wasn’t to my liking. For me, the lay of the land called for landscape mode.
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I was joshing, Steve, thinking of Sandra’s reaction.
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Ah, it went right over my head, Andrew. 🙂
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Fall…Autumn is definitely here.
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Almost done I am afraid. Most of the color is passing quickly.
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Very nice rendering of the colour variations. The white birch? in the foreground is so stark. I like the track at the bottom and the hint of it in the tops of the trees to the left.
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Yes, it is a birch and its starkicity is what attracted me to the scene in both cases. I think what you are seeing at the top is a little bit of fog as the road keeps going straight to the left and another Quabbin gate.
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I agree, Steve. It looks wonderful with the context included, and the suggestion of a path adds mystery.
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Thanks, Melissa. Sometimes I get a little zoned in to a particular idea for a composition and need to remind myself to take some alternate views. The more I look around, which is really the first order of business when possible, the more likely it is that a view will present itself.
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Yes, that is what I find too.
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