I have decided to feature autumn images in today’s post.  I apologize that the majority of the pictures that I am showing, are once again, images that I have shared before, either on this blog or elsewhere.

There’s nothing sweeter than some soft, low contrast color saturating light.  Then just compose colors, tones, tree trunks and branches.  Those circumstances make me a very happy photographer.  I enjoy the act of finding as many different color/tone comps as possible from one small scene.  Such is the case with the first two pictures.

Finding order in an image is one of the jobs of a photographer. In nature, order doesn’t always come easily.  Both images below are less ordered than many of the landscapes I show on these pages.  None the less they are considerably more ordered than how they first appeared to me. There is usually some order to be found within the chaos.

As I look back at the above paragraph, I think I should have found more ways to use the word “order”.

One filter that is always in my bag is a polarizing filter.  The image below is a perfect candidate for one.  If I had been making this picture for potential publication I definitely would have used a filter to eliminate all of those reflections of light that you see. I was making it for myself and actually liked the abstract qualities that they produced.

Fall leaves work well with blue skies when it is done right.  Notice that the light and exposure on the branches and the sky is the same.  The shoreline of this lake was rimmed with conifers and still green hardwoods. The exception was the branches you see in the image below. Trout Lake, American Legion State Forest, WI

Most Sumac plants turn color very early.  A lot of sugar makes for a nice deep red. The lower branches are often covered with dew in the early a.m. and that is always something worth taking advantage of.  The below image is a crop from a rather confusing horizontal.

I’ve sang the praises of early fall with all of its color diversity, and mid fall is obvious, but don’t neglect those trees in late fall that refuse to “give it up”.  Composing autumn trees and bare branches is challenging but fun. It imparts a special mood and that mood tells us that winter can’t be far behind.

Yes the second shot was made on a golf course.  When you know the wilderness is not going to be your partner, golf courses and cemeteries are reliable autumn substitutes.

Then comes winter