Before the Final Drop

[kdoc856]

Here's a few images of my last walkabout of my neighborhood before a storm pretty much denuded most of the trees. I wait for a year for just a couple of weeks of autumn color. It goes so fast. Any C&C appreciated.

1.


2.


3.

4.

5.

[Mutley]

I like #2 & 4 personally.

[Sergio M.]

Another wonderful set of autumn colors, Kevin. The exposure and DOF on these as well as the previous set looks really great. All these images and others are allowing me to enjoy autumn, if only vicariously, but it's still a pleasure. If I had to pick, I would say #1 and #4 are my favorites because of the colors.

Serge

[kdoc856]

Thanks, Steve and Serge for your comments. I'm going to my cabin in the Appalachian foothills this weekend, but I fear I've missed prime time. I frankly never paid a lot of attention to the leaf turning process in the past, but have learned alot this year and will plan better for next.

Serge: I also preferred #1 and #4

[jeeperman]

I am going to fall in line here 1 and 4 for me but all make a nice series. I feel #2 would have been stronger had the formost rail running acrossed the bottom not been there.

[ScoutR]

#1 and 2 get my vote. The colours are lovely in all of them but i love the composition in 1 & 2 with the winding paths and the shadows. I'm not so sure about the foreground in #2. I think I would crop just above the vertical post at the left. That way you have the path and curved railing at the left leading into the shot. The horizontal curb at the bottom doesn't work for me.
edit: like what Paul said while I was writing my post

Wendy

[tilde531]

I'm the odd-ball of the bunch (no surprise LOL), with faves being #3 and #5.

It looks like HDR effect in #1, and although it's a lovely organic scene, that effect makes me a bit motion-sick in general.

I'm a few hundred miles to your south and east, but the colors just aren't gonna happen here for us this year.
It's been way too warm... and what DID change... fell off fast.
(My TWO trips to Trap Pond were disappointing... so, for now... I'm just gonna sit here a drool on your photos and experiences, and enjoy the colors vicariously.)

[Mike Buckley]

All are very nice, though #2 is on a higher level for me. Great job!

[dje]

Lovely images Kevin, thanks for sharing.

Dave

[kdoc856]

thanks all for your thoughtful considerations. Will certainly fix the foreground in #2, it's an easy crop and a little cloning.

Theresa, I know just what you mean. the bleeding together of the colors seems much more prominent in this downsized version than the full size original, though. It's not an HDR, but with LR4, I have found I can get a very HDR-like effect with the high degree of selective tonal manipulation available in LR4, and this was a significantly manipulated image.

[Teton Chuck]

Kevin, these are all beautiful photos. I especially like #1 and #2. The red bushes near the end of the path in 1 really sets it off. I like the meandering pathway in 2. Nice to see all the color.