I came upon this scene yesterday when I was in the area. Unfortunately, when I came upon it the first time, the sun was high in the sky and although the foliage was stunning, the light was less than interesting. The second time I came upon it, the farm in the background was in deep shadow. Basically, I hit it too early and too late. I decided to take the trip back tonight (40 minutes from home give or take five) and wait out the light. This area of Schoharie County is really rife with photo opportunities. So many beautiful farms and hillsides.

I took this photo from several angles. I really wanted to incorporate the glowing sugar maple in the foreground along with that larger row of trees that helped add a sense of scale to the valley below. Another five minutes and that farm would have once again been in shadow.

Timing is really everything in photography. We wait all year for color in the trees and then sometimes our vision of the image we want to make can come down to just minutes of possibility. In another week, this scene will look drastically different, as it did one week prior I'm sure. That's life.

Taken with my 70-200 F/2.8 and trusty old D7000.

The Daily Coyote...A MUST Read

I just got finished reading The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton (her blog: http://www.dailycoyote.net/). I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who likes coyotes, dogs or really animals in general (or the human condition for that matter). I won't go into too much detail about the book but it is a true story and Shreve seems like a truly amazing person. It was a quick read and worth every minute. I got more smiles from that book in a 24 hour period than I have had in the previous month.

I must admit I have been somewhat fascinated with coyotes since I was much younger. I grew up in a pretty rural area in Upstate, NY. In the summers I didn't usually have a/c so all the windows would be open. Our house was surrounded by fields and pretty much open acreage (then, but not so much now...). Many nights I would lie awake listening to the Coyotes. The sound was something to behold for sure. They were probably with a few hundred yards or less of the open windows. Whether it was the heat or how loud their "singing" was, I often missed a lot of sleep those nights.

I went as far as to build a tree stand and buy coyote calls, (rodent in distress, that type of thing) in an effort to see one of these beautiful and often misunderstood animals. I never was able to call one in but their evidence was all around me. It wasn't until much later that I had actually gotten a glimpse of a Coyote.

What does this all have to do with photography? For one Shreve's photography in the book is fascinating and well placed throughout the story. Secondly, the book inspired me and I am going to make a concerted effort to attempt to photograph some of these animals in the wild. I may even have to pull out some of those coyote calls. Stay tuned...