grouseking
Well-known member
This is my favorite one for the year...to date. Whaddya all think? I took it near the summit of Sunapee, looking down.
grouseking
grouseking
Favorite Foliage shot
- Thread starter grouseking
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forestgnome
New member
You captured some beautiful color, but the dormant lift adds more to the story...nice composition 
Mark Schaefer
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You did manage to find some very nice color, and there is some good potential with this photo. It also appears to be a light overcast day which means that the sky is probably not very interesting. So I completely agree with your decision to exclude the uninteresting sky and just emphasize the colorful trees which are very nicely depicted in this even light.
My major concern with the photo is that there is no prominent subject that draws the viewer's attention in the scene. The scene is mostly middle ground and background without any strong elements in the foreground. I believe the photo might be more successful if you had some of your fellow hikers in the foreground, perhaps in profile looking into the scene. Other options might be to approach some of the ski center equipment or a trail sign so that it looms large in the foreground. Or perhaps you could find some isolated and colorful trees to include in the foreground.
As forestgnome noted, the ski lift adds to the story of the photo, more than just having the beautiful color. Indeed if you were just to zoom in on the portion of the scene that includes the ski lift, trail sign, and ski gun with the blue base; I believe you might have a more interesting photo. That portion contains some of the best color. We would be able to see the individual trees better, and there would be a stronger focal point for the viewer.
Ski Centers are great places to view the foliage as you have more widely open views than on the more narrow hiking trails. Overall I commend your choice of location and your good use of a bright overcast day.
My major concern with the photo is that there is no prominent subject that draws the viewer's attention in the scene. The scene is mostly middle ground and background without any strong elements in the foreground. I believe the photo might be more successful if you had some of your fellow hikers in the foreground, perhaps in profile looking into the scene. Other options might be to approach some of the ski center equipment or a trail sign so that it looms large in the foreground. Or perhaps you could find some isolated and colorful trees to include in the foreground.
As forestgnome noted, the ski lift adds to the story of the photo, more than just having the beautiful color. Indeed if you were just to zoom in on the portion of the scene that includes the ski lift, trail sign, and ski gun with the blue base; I believe you might have a more interesting photo. That portion contains some of the best color. We would be able to see the individual trees better, and there would be a stronger focal point for the viewer.
Ski Centers are great places to view the foliage as you have more widely open views than on the more narrow hiking trails. Overall I commend your choice of location and your good use of a bright overcast day.
Technetium
New member
I really like the color you got in that one, grouseking. I have not seen any color like that yet this year, due to being too early in NH, and then a week later being too early in western MA. From a compositional perspective, I agree with what's been said, and also I would add to try and keep in mind where lines (either literal or perceived) are being drawn in the image. Lines that come from the corners tend to lead the eye into the shot where you want it. Lines that come from the middle of the edges (such as the perceived line leading in along the ski lift and continuing through the other structures) don't have as strong of that desired effect. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule so I don't mean to say you have to do this every time. I like your shot here.
I got this one on Sept 25th, which was a bit early for the foliage, unfortunately. I should have waited one more week. Still, there is some here that looks nice. I was actually quite surprised/pleased with how even the lighting came out here... I just waited for a nice cloud to block the sun and then took my shot. It's usually hard to get it balanced like this outside of "golden hour". Ironically, the better the shot I get in the camera, the more time I spend processing (mainly because I want to make sure an already good shot is being finished at the very best it can be), although the actual processing tends to be more subtle.
While this is definitely my favorite foliage shot for this year, it doesn't come close to my favorite one from the previous year. I still have one more weekend to get some more in central MA. I think after that it's going to be past.
I got this one on Sept 25th, which was a bit early for the foliage, unfortunately. I should have waited one more week. Still, there is some here that looks nice. I was actually quite surprised/pleased with how even the lighting came out here... I just waited for a nice cloud to block the sun and then took my shot. It's usually hard to get it balanced like this outside of "golden hour". Ironically, the better the shot I get in the camera, the more time I spend processing (mainly because I want to make sure an already good shot is being finished at the very best it can be), although the actual processing tends to be more subtle.
While this is definitely my favorite foliage shot for this year, it doesn't come close to my favorite one from the previous year. I still have one more weekend to get some more in central MA. I think after that it's going to be past.
Elizabeth
New member
Great photos so far. Goes to show that even in a relatively dull year, there are still some beautiful opportunities out there.
Maple Palette on Moss by Elizabeth W.K., on Flickr
Maple Palette on Moss
Maple Palette on Moss by Elizabeth W.K., on FlickrMaple Palette on Moss
pudgy_groundhog
Active member
I love fall and seeing everybody's pictures.
Grouseking, beautiful colors.
Technetium, gorgeous picture and good job with the lighting (I think typically a scene like this it's easy to blow the highlights or lose detail in the shadows). You mentioned a lot of time post processing - what did you do?
Elizabeth, I like the variety of leaves and the background you chose.
These were from a hike in the Catskills a few weekends ago (Blackhead, Black Dome, and Thomas Cole):
Grouseking, beautiful colors.
Technetium, gorgeous picture and good job with the lighting (I think typically a scene like this it's easy to blow the highlights or lose detail in the shadows). You mentioned a lot of time post processing - what did you do?
Elizabeth, I like the variety of leaves and the background you chose.
These were from a hike in the Catskills a few weekends ago (Blackhead, Black Dome, and Thomas Cole):
roadtripper
Well-known member
Dry River Falls in NH when it was at about 50-75% peak:
