Impressions of Fall 2025 – Part 6 – Creek Leaves 2

Photography of fall leaves in an Indiana creek, fall 2025.

Creek Leaves 8
Creek Leaves 9
Creek Leaves 10
Creek Leaves 11 (Dry)
Creek Leaves 12 (Dry)
Creek Leaves 13
Creek Leaves 14

Believe it or not, I have more Creek Leaves photos to share,

Ken

Impressions of Fall 2025 – Part 5 – Creek Leaves 1

Photos of fall leaves in an Indiana creek, fall 2025.

Creek Leaves 2
Creek Leaf
Creek Leaves 3
Creek Leaves
Creek Leaves 4
Creek Leaves 5
Creek Leaves 6
Creek Leaves
Creek Leaves 7

Note: Numbered photos are those images which are also posted to my Flickr page.

Happy New Year and stay tuned for more Creek Leaves photos,

Ken

Impressions of Fall 2025 – Part 4

More fall photos from Indiana in the fall of 2025.

Fall Reflections

A light breeze rippled the creek surface, giving this image an impressionist painterly appearance.

Fall Reflections 2

Fallen leaves, mostly submerged, in an Indiana creek with reflections of the trees around the creek.

Busy Fall Reflection
Tree Bone
Flaming Leaf

I considered titling this ICM image of a fall leaf ‘Maple Leaf Comet’.

Elegant Poser

At first it was just a pretty leaf lying on a mossy rock that got my attention, but the more I looked at it the more it looked like an elegant female model posing like a naturalist in an outdoor environment. (Maybe I had been wandering alone in that creek bed too long).

Autumn Contrast

Nature makes its own artistic arrangements, no need for human intervention.

Not Litter

Looking for ideas for a title, I found that fallen leaves are refered to as “leaf litter” or “tree litter”. Is it really appropriate to describe such natural beauty as “litter”? Can’t we show some respect for these fallen, natural beauties?

Creek Leaf

I set out one morning with a National Forest hiking path as a destination. When I arrived, there was a crew working at the limited area parking access. The young ranger in charge said they were just wrapping up setting posts for a kiosk and would be out of my way in a few minutes. So I drove on down the road to kill a few minutes, took a side road, stopped beside a creek and went down into the creek bed to look around. There was not much water in the creek, just a narrow stream with a few shallow puddles. There were many fallen leaves in the creek, which looked like good photographic subjects, so I returned to my vehicle, retrieved my camera and spent some time photographing those leaves.

Creek Leaves

Next up, More Creek Leaves,

Ken

Impressions of Fall 2025 – Part 3

This is a continuation of fall photography in Indiana in the fall of 2025.

Forest Creature

‘Forest Creature’ was chosen for Flickr’s Explore page, but I like ‘Poised to Strike’ better.

Poised to Strike
Vine Moss
Forest Pretzel
Forest Gold

The photos above were all made, while hiking through an Indiana fall forest.

These below were all made in an Indiana creek that crosses an Indiana backroad.

Tired O’Clock

Ok, I’ll admit to placing those leaves around the tire sidewall. Firstly, it is a shame that folks discard such items in manners that are detrimental to our environment. Secondly, other than photo documenting this litter, it might as well be dress up a little.

Leaf, Rock, Camera

‘Leaf, Rock, Camera’ is an obvious allusion to the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors”.

Leaves in Creek
Fall Creek
Golden Forest

Stay tuned for more Indiana fall photos,

Ken

 

Impressions of Fall 2025 – Part 1

Another year and another fall in Indiana. This year was much different than the previous few. Drought and a warm fall resulted in sporadic color change in the local trees and forests.

It was just after mid-October, when we arrived in Indiana, a time when the local forest fall foliage would normally be highly apparent. This year many trees were still fully green, a few had already changed almost completely and other were just exhibiting the seasonal change in color.

The “peak”, if it can be called that this year, came the first week in November and it was muted, compared to a “normal” year. I’m afraid this will become the “normal” in the future as climate change, which is not a “hoax”, continues its rapid advance.

Just Trees
Fall Forest Abstract 1
Fall Forest Abstract 2

For these ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) abstract images in a forest, one can include the sky or exclude it. I find that I prefer those images with the sky limited or excluded, which usually requires cropping the image in post processing.

Fall Forest Abstract 3

The direction of the light is also a factor in these image. Side light produces alternating light and dark patterns across the image, which I tend to prefer.

Red Leaves of Fall
The Straight and the Twisted
Cross Timbers
Fall Leaf Cluster
Life’s Scars
Old Friends

Stay tuned for more fall impressions,

Ken

Yosemite National Park – Part 3

After a sunrise shoot at Tunnel View, I stopped at the parking area for Bridal Veil Falls.  The falls can be seen from the parking lot and there is a short trail that gets one much nearer the falls.  The trail is easy, but is slightly uphill most of the way, so it does take a little effort to hike.

Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls 1

I switched back to my 24-70mm lens before hiking the trail, but soon realized that the 80-400mm lens would have allowed me to capture close up images of details in the tall, slender waterfall.

Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls 2
Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls – Wide 1

The image above gives an idea of how far away the end of the trail viewing area is from the falls.  This view covers the entirety of the falls from top to the bottom most part that I could see, including small portions in the bottom left, but excluding the sky to avoid exposure difficulties. I could have gotten a little closer, as a few people do, by climbing beyond the viewing area border, but I elected not to do so.  One can easily see how a big lens would be useful for isolating smaller portions of this waterfall.

Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls

This long, slender waterfall does not fall straight down, but swings back and forth across the rock face.  Maybe with a heavier water flow it might fall in a more linear fashion, but this meandering path creates more interesting features and that “veil” appearance.

Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls –  Wide 2

This wider angle view gives a better indication of the local environment.

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Bridal Veil Falls 3

If I had brought my big lens, I would have zoomed into features such as the ledge in the bottom portion of the image above.

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Bridal Veil Falls – Wide 3
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Bridal Veil Falls – Wide 4
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Bridal Veil Falls 4
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Bridal Veil Falls 5
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Bridal Veil Falls 6
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Bridal Veil Falls 7
Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls – Wide 5
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Bridal Veil Falls 8
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Bridal Veil Falls 9
Aug13, 2024
Bridal Veil Falls 10

Some of the close up look images are extracted from wider angle ones by cropping the images, which I’m sure readers have realized.

That’s more than enough for now.  Thanks for following,

Ken

 

Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 2

We woke up to a heavy snow cover in our campground the second morning of our visit here.  We had been watching the weather forecast and expected snow over a large area, we just could not judge how much would fall at our location, which was a higher elevation than that used in the weather forecasts .

Snow in Bandelier Campground, March 2021, iPhone Photo
Snow in Bandelier Campground, March 2021, iPhone Photo

Judging by the depth of snow on the flat surfaces, it looks like 6-8 inches of cover.

After making a few early morning iPhone photos and taking care of a few housekeeping chores, I began to walk around the campground area with my DSLR.

I managed to isolate a few individual, snow covered trees against the overcast sky.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Tree and Clouds 1.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Tree and Clouds 2.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Monochrome Tree and Snow.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Skeleton Tree in Snow.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Towering Tree in Snow.

As I walked around, I tried to capture a few small features in the snow covered landscape.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Grass in Snow 1.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Grass in Snow, Monochrome.

And anything else that looked unique or interesting.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Crawling Snow Covered Tree Creature.

A distant mountainside was visible through the forest and I tried to frame that in a few photographs, but the 24-70mm lens did not allow for close ups of the distant mountains tops.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Distant Mountains 1.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Distant Mountains 2.

I think the individual trees are the best images that I captured here; but here are a few miscellaneous other images to give a feel for the general look of the snow covered forest area around the campground.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Snow Forest 1.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Snow Forest 2.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Snow Forest 3.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Snow Forest 4.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Snow Forest 5.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Snow Forest 6.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021.  Old and Fallen, Old and Standing.

It is good that I got out early to capture the snow, since it began to melt away even as I made my way back to my van.  It was essentially all gone by late morning.

More on Bandelier later,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 26, 2020 PM, Part 3

By the time this final post, covering my fall visit to the Rio Grande National Forest, is published it will be late spring of 2021.  It would have been good to have been able to publish all of the fall photographs in the fall, but it takes time to review and edit so many photographs and there are always other trips, events and personal matters that delay getting posts prepared.

Maybe I should take fewer photographs?  But photography of natural places is my hobby and I get to do too little of it as is, so I will continue to make as many photos like these as often as I can get away to do so.

Fall Forest. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Red and Green Leaf on Log. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 3200.

 

Dark Red. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Fall Forest Roadway. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/500s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Leaf on Log. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Leaves and Moss on Stump. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Leaves and Stump. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/80s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Trapped. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 6400.

I’ll finish with a final photograph that I think is appropriate for wrapping up this trip.

Heart Tree. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 6400.

The heart shaped scar on this tree appears to be natural and not one of the many carved ones that I encountered.

As soon as I publish this, I will begin preparations for another trip to begin in a few days.  I have much to do and still have to select a primary destination.  Maybe by next year, I will even be posting photos from that trip.  (I still have other events in the queue to work through before getting to anything new)!

Thanks for following, stay well and safe,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 26, 2020 PM, Part 2

Again, mostly photographs and few words.

Shelter. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Trunk Trio. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 52mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 3200.
Hint of Fall, B&W with selective colorization. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 400.
Sanctuary. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Forest Road and Barren Aspens, B&W with selective colorization. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 52mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Advanced Fall, B&W with selective colorization. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Advanced Fall. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Hanging On, B&W with selective colorization. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Stump with moss and leaves. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 32mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 3200.

Just one comment to wrap up this post.  Viewers will note that I’ve include color versions of a few images that were then converted to black and white with selective colorization to add emphasis.

Stay tuned for the wrap up for my September 2020 Rio Grande National Forest visit.

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 26, 2020 PM, Part 1

For our late day shoot, we decided to drive back into a higher elevation portion of the forest. I’ll refrain from using too many words to wrap up the final shoot of my last day here, so these last several posts will consist of mostly photographs.

Aspen Fall.  Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 2500.
Aspen Leaf and Evergreen. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 1600.
Leaf and Bark. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/80s, f/11, ISO 320.
Fall Forest. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 1600.
Leaf Hoard. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Leaf and Bough. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Golden Forest Floor. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 26mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Gnarly. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 32mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 2000.
Soft Landing. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 3200.

To be continued,

Ken