Took a ride to Cherry Plain State Park in Rensselaer County. I had been here before and had pictured making a photo like this in my mind. I would have liked some red in the image but I liked the way the fallen orange leaves frame the roadway and lead the eyes through the scene towards the golden yellow trees.

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.

Roseboom

Nothing increases motivation for photography like a beautiful October day. I usually find foliage reports pretty unreliable and that might have a lot to do with my expectations as opposed to those reporting. That being said, I checked out the I Love NY website's foliage reports and saw that the Otsego County area was near peak. 

I drove out to Cooperstown via Route 10 to 165/166 and checked out a scene I had photographed in the past. I drove by the scene you see here on the way out and thought to myself that if the location I had in mind didn't pan out I'd come back to this one. Well, the other scene didn't offer me the color I was hoping for so I came back to this one as the sun was setting. 

If you have seen any of my photos, you know that I generally gravitate towards farms and old farm buildings. I think this image would look much better without the house and willow trees in it but seeing as though this is someone's home I don't feel quite right just erasing it from the scene. 

130th Vermont Autumn

130th Vermont Autumn
Originally uploaded by UpstateNYPhototaker

I have been into photography as a serious hobby for almost 2 years and this barn offers one of if not THE nicest photo ops I have come across. I saw a shot of this barn in a magazine and wasn't that impressed with the treatment it received. I could tell it was just a grab shot and the photographer either wasn't that adept at photography or just didn't care to take a great shot.

I researched this barn and found other photos of it and found out roughly where it was. When I finally came upon it I immediately smiled and knew it was a great spot. With the mountains behind it, the beautiful early fall light and the hint of fall color this barn is a fascinating piece of Americana. I cannot wait to shoot it in the winter!

I am curious to know when that roof was put on this barn. My guess is that when the barn was built the date wouldn't have been significant as it was just a barn. I could of course, be wrong.

How Many Adirondack Autumns Has This Barn Seen?

How Many Adirondack Autumns Has This Barn Seen?
Originally uploaded by UpstateNYPhototaker

I love old barns. Each one tells it's own story and this barn is no exception. This barn sits on Route 9N/73 in Keene, NY along the High Peaks Scenic Highway. If I were to guess that 1000 people stopped and photographed this barn today alone, I would probably be on the low side.There was a steady stream of cars coming and going and I saw an impressive array of photography equipment coming and going as well.

I have passed this barn at least 50 times in my life and each time have thought this would make a great photo. Today, with the fall color in full stride, it was a no brainer. I don't think this barn could be placed in a more picturesque spot. Taken with the D90, 18-105VR and a Cokin Polarizer to tame the sky and color.

The End of Autumn in Upstate, NY

These are likely my last Upstate NY Foliage pics that I will take for 2009. These were taken on a beautiful November day in Collins Park in Scotia, NY (Schenectady County). All of the above photos were taken with a Nikon D90 and Sigma 10-20mm lens.

Please check out my Zenfolio site if you are interested in looking at more like these and in making a small donation to add these to your wall :)

http://smpphotography.zenfolio.com/