It’s autumn in New England. No surprise there. And calendar-worthy fall scenes are a dime a dozen here–have camera, point, and shoot.
But not always. All too often, my own photos turn out to be pedestrian shots of brightly-colored leaves, pretty but nondescript. The colors are never quite as intense as reality, the three-dimensional effect and the light filtering through the foliage not enough like the real thing.
Which is as it should be, I suppose. The real thing is what gets us outside, into that fresh and crisp autumn air–minus the smell of burning leaves, madeleine-like memory of my youth.
Ah, but fortunately, I have friends who are much better photographers than I. Plus they have better cameras, but that’s not really their secret. A photographer has to have a certain “eye,” and patience, and the ability to “see” what will be in the frame.
So here, without further ado, I present some of my favorites from this year’s fall photos taken by a friend:
And then this one, taken at a party at the house of another friend who’s fortunate to live on a bay and have this view of sunset:
Which segues to this, as the sun sinks even lower and disappears for another day:
Not a bad place to be on a beautiful autumn eve.
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely 
October 21st, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Breathtaking! I’m a native Floridian and love it with all my heart but I envy you your beautiful autumns and snow in winter (well I might envy that for a week or two)
I’ve been to New England for 2 summers but my dream is to go back for autumn & winter. Thanks for sharing some of your friend’s photos!
FloridaSuzie
October 21st, 2006 at 11:03 pm
“Seeing” and “eye” are indeed the key. Edward Weston made art out of ordinary things, peppers and toilets, by developing what he called a “stronger way of seeing.” His way of seeing enabled him to make the best nude photo ever done with a camera.
October 21st, 2006 at 11:38 pm
Absolutely stunning and so worth posting so they can be enjoyed by many. Yes, those beautiful fall vistas are worth the price of some winter.
October 22nd, 2006 at 5:46 am
Nice…but I’ll prefer the pictures when I retire to Hawaii, thanks.
October 22nd, 2006 at 8:20 am
Hmm, not sure I agree about the ‘seeing’ issue. At least, I don’t see it as the singular or overwhelming cause of average photography.
In art, the real secret is volume. For the photographer, that means taking THOUSANDS of pictures. Surely, even if you are only of average talent, you’ll come up with a few pretty good photos. (I especially liked #2 of those you shared- the emphasis on the reflection rather than a balanced view of the trees and their reflection was nice).
In the material arts, it’s all about producing volume to find the gems. In performance, it’s all about many practices and rehersals to make a good performance.
Endurance and perseverance are probably the two most important traits of a good artist.
October 22nd, 2006 at 5:30 pm
I thought it was Norfolk that suffered harsh winters?
October 23rd, 2006 at 1:27 am
Lovely!
October 24th, 2006 at 12:47 am
Beautiful images!
Is there any place in the US where it is legal to just burn a pile of leaves without going through hell getting a permit?
*sigh* Ahhh, the good old days!