Several weeks ago, I lamented that Autumn had come to a close for the year. Everywhere I looked, bare trees and fallen leaves seemed to confirm that conclusion. The calendar seemed to confirm it as well as it was now early December. In my mind, December means Winter, not Autumn. Little did I know that, despite what the calendar said, Autumn would put on one last display, and that final display would be in my own backyard.
I had been outside earlier in the afternoon to talk about some work that needed to be done on my house. As we discussed the details, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a blaze of color. Turning to take a look, I was stunned to see some of the brightest orange leaves I had seen all season. When early evening arrived and the leaves had fallen into shadow, I grabbed my gear and headed out the door. With my 100-400mm lens, I framed up this composition.
As I was about to go back inside, I looked to my left and saw another scene. I have tried to photograph this small patch of woods several times, but I never cared for the results. But, with a large splash of red leaves, the scene took on an entirely different look from anything I had seen before. Again, I used my 100-400mm lens to frame the image. In Lightroom, I reduced clarity and texture to create an Orton effect to soften the image and create a bit of a fantasy-like look to the picture.
What caught my attention in the last image was the way the fallen leaves had completely carpeted the ground. It brought back childhood memories of playing with my brothers in the woods around our house or that one time I joined my grandfather for a walk through the woods as he hunted squirrels (no squirrels were harmed on that trip). Memories of simpler times that I sometimes wish I could revisit but, alas, it cannot be.
A few short days later, the leaves had turned brown and fallen from their branches marking the end of Autumn 2023 and the beginning of Winter.