Maple vs. Oak
We generally have two fall foliage shows in Maine each year. First the maples and then the birches and oaks. The birches are actually kind of a bridge between the two, starting to turn with the maples and finishing up with the oaks. This year is different in so many ways, so it should not be surprising that the foliage is out of sync. There are lots of full color leaves still on the maples (or were until yesterday’s heavy rains), but the oaks are already turning. The oaks never achieve the brilliant red of the maples, and shade on over to brown all too soon, but they have their own character. Sony Rx10iv at 330mm equivalent. Program mode. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th and 380mm equivalent, ISO 100 @ f4.5 @ 1/1000th. Both -1EV. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Bittersweet
We have some of the biggest Bittersweet vines I have ever seen growing in the pines at the edge of our yard. I mean big! 5 inches in diameter near the ground, with shaggy, deeply patterned bark, and growing up the tree to the very top, 50 feet or more. The berries are way up there. In fact I did not identify the vines as bittersweet for many years, until I saw the berry cluster one day in the top of the tree. These ripe berries fell to the ground under the tree and I found them when putting up my photo blind for a session the other day. They make a striking still-life in the grass and pine needles. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent using Sony’s full-time macro. This is full frame…only cropped horizontally. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Mind that tongue!
I spent some time in the photo blind the other day and was entertained by this chipmunk getting a drink from my pump and bucket water feature. The chipmunks are very bold. Twice now I have had them join me in the blind when I apparently set it up across one of their highways…or maybe they were just being friendly. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Fall White-throated Sparrows
White-throated Sparrow, Kennebunk, Maine, USA — We had White-throated Sparrows foraging under our feeders under the big pines for several weeks this spring on their way north, and I saw the first of the returning White-throats yesterday. They are skulkers at the best of times, though in spring they got bold enough to come out where I could see them at least on occasion. This season they are still in deep skulking mode. I don’t know how long we will have them to enjoy on their way south, but I certainly enjoyed watching them yesterday. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Abstracts of Autumn #5
Number 5 in the series of season abstracts from Laudholm Farms in Wells Maine. Sony Rx10iv at 95mm equivalent. Program mode with HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f3.5 @ 1/250th. -.3EV Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Abstracts of Autumn #4
This is one of the reddest trees I have found this fall, and already with over half its leaves on the ground. We had an early turn, then rain, then high winds, so the fall, or at least the fall foliage, was fleeting this year. Sony Rx10iv at 30mm equivalent. Program mode with HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/640th. Processed in Apple Photos.
Abstracts of Autumn #3
Another shot from my search for seasonal abstracts at Laudholm Farms in Wells, Maine. Sony Rx10iv at 73mm equivalent. Program mode with HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/400th. -.3EV. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Abstracts of Autumn #2
A particularly red maple overgrown with Bittersweet vine, with the berries just at the yellow stage. Color and texture and shape. Another seasonal abstract. Sony Rx10iv at 227mm equivalent. Program mode with HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Processed in Apple Photos. Laudholm Farms, Wells, Maine.
Abstracts of Autumn #1
I went out on my eBike yesterday, specifically to look for foliage photos…not landscape shots, but photos featuring the patterns, colors, and textures of the season. Abstracts. I will post a few over the next few days. Fall is passing fast this year, with more than half the leaves off the trees already, and with still a week to go before traditional peak foliage. What can I say? It is 2020. This shot, and those that follow, were taken at Laudholm Farms in Wells, Maine. Sony Rx10iv at 67mm equivalent. Program with HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/400th. Processed in Apple Photos.
Chipmunk into the leaves
The thing about nature is, you just never know what you might see. I have never seen a Chipmunk “eating” leaves before, but this one was picking up dry leaves and mulching then into his cheek pouches. I suspect he was not after any lingering nutrition…they were the driest of the dry leaves at his disposal…but maybe planned to use them as winter insulation for his nest??? Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.