Autumn in New England is stressful for a landscape photographer. All through the winter, stick season, and endless bands of green in summer, the New England photographer lays in wait for the big payoff – fall foliage season.
For a few short weeks each Autumn the forests of Vermont, New Hampshire and across New England burst into a brilliant mix of yellows, oranges and reds.
The problem is waiting for the “peak” a time of maximum color just before the leaves start to drop. Drought, wind, storms, rain, hurricanes, overcast skies and other elements of weather all conspire to work against the perfect conditions.
This year we seemed to have a late peak brought on by summer drought plus a lingering stretch of overcast days the muted the colors.
Finally there was a break in the weather. A partially cloudy day which turned out to be unseasonable warm and humid – topping 82 degrees at the peak – with a weather report of 100% rain the next day.
It certainly was time to act! I packed a lunch and spent the entire day driving around central Vermont to capture the Autumn spectacle.