Celebrating the season

Another landscape to celebrate the season of fall foliage. This one is the Kennebunk River at the Walsh Preserve (Arundel Land Conservancy) off river road in Kennebunk (or Arundel perhaps 🙂 The preserve is just a narrow strip between residential properties on the road and on the river, but provides rare access to the river and a couple of restful benches for contemplation. Sony a6500 with the ultra wide lens combo (16mm f2.8 plus ultra wide converter for an equivalent focal length of 18mm). Program mode with HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f8 @ 1/250th. -1EV to hold the sky, program shift for greater depth of field. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

A little fall pond action…

I don’t often feature a landscape for my Pic of the day, but if I am going to, it is most likely in the fall. Autumn in Maine is always (almost) an amazing show of defiance to the coming winter, or homage to the passing summer…and always worth celebrating. This is a favorite spot for fall photos (any season actually)…a little pond along Rt. 9 just north of the Wells Town border, caught here just pack peek color and under an interesting sky. Sony a6500 with the 18mm ultra-wide combo lens set. Program with auto HDR. Nominal exposure: ISO 100 @ f13 @ 1/60th. -1EV to hold the sky. Program shift for depth of field. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

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.