Beautiful Fall: Our Favorite Season

Summarizing today's post: Using your photography skills to capture this beautiful fall season, peace and contentment, & carrying your camera with you always.

shot at 48mm, ISO 200, f/4.5, 1/320th of a sec, ambient light only, morning sun

Nothing comes close to the beauty of the fall season. We look forward to it every year, and this year has been especially nice. The exquisite colors produced by the vast amount of trees in our area have been prolonged by several weeks of mild weather. Other years I remember the season being cut short by an early frost or a period of heavy rains (which knocks the brittle leaves off their branches).

shot at 150mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250th of a sec, ambient light only, morning sun, WB set to shade

There have been so many opportunities to take photographs of the beautiful foliage around central and eastern NC. It has been hard to know what to shoot, and when to shoot it, honestly. There are times that a camera doesn't do the scene justice. When those times come about, it is best to simply take a "mental snapshot" and just enjoy the moment (more on that here).

I preach all the time to my readers that if they...YOU...will learn to use that dormant camera of yours and shoot things that naturally bring you happiness, cool things will happen. Such as? Your level of peace and contentment rise. And in such a busy life today, we need all the little nuggets of peace we can get. Amen? Yes.

On that note, today I thought I'd share a sample of the photos I have taken over the past few weeks. These are images that have made me happy, and that have brought me peace and contentment.

shot at 75mm, ISO 400, f/5, 1/800th of a sec, ambient light only, afternoon sun

The two best times to photograph anything outdoors (if you have your choice) is either early morning or late in the day. When the sun is low on the horizon, you'll get the best results, every time.

The first two images at the top of the page were shot early in the morning just after the sun had peaked over the treeline at our home. Notice in the second photo, you'll see the steam rising off the roof as the early morning sun starts to warm things up a bit. Nice little effect. 

shot at 24mm, ISO 400, f/11, 1/25th of a second, ambient light only

These last 2 photographs were shot late in the day as the sun was setting. I literally had to pull over on the side of the road while driving one Sunday afternoon to "take in" the beauty of the treeline. And since I had my camera with me--of course--I was able to capture what I saw. [Read the Camerawith! Challenge here for more on taking your camera with you all the time.] 

I certainly hope that you have taken the time to appreciate the beauty in nature with the fall season this year. If not, there's still a little time left. Take a drive down a long stretch of highway this weekend. Bring your camera and give yourself a little extra time. Test your photography skills a bit and just play. 

When you get home, you just may find that you have increased your level of peace and contentment...if only ever-so-slightly. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great Friday!

Brant
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