And I Must Go

Confession: I hate fall. When people hear this, they gasp and look at me as if I’ve mortally offended them. Where I’m from, everyone goes nuts for this damned season. Scarves! Pumpkin spice! Cool weather!

You can take it. I’ll leave it.

The past few years, there has been one day out of the fall season I’ve found myself actually enjoying. My best friend and I load up the car with photo gear and an inexcusable amount of junk food, and head out to catch peak foliage in the Adirondacks.

Changing leaves generally don’t do it for me. You spend your downtime raking 30 bio bags of them out of your yard every year, and tell me they still have any charm. But in the mountains, they really do. The peaks are on fire with colors I just don’t see even a few hours away at home, and for that one day, I get it. It’s magical.

Fall in the ADK doesn’t feel dreary or depressing. It’s beautiful and refreshing. Even in the rain. This is my third time here, and probably the best timing I’ve had yet for photography. These are my best friend’s stomping grounds. The region has been a second home her entire life. So really, the trip serves two purposes: I get some awesome shots, she gets to see her favorite place one more time before the real worst season hits.

This is my favorite spot/view in the mountains. It’s the middle of nowhere, at the foot of Mount Marcy, on a dead-end road that leads to an old iron mine. Found it by accident and have loved it ever since.

Driving around out here, you just kinda…stop and pull over. Fellow photographers were all over the place doing the same. This was probably my favorite pull off we found. I walked over and jumped the guardrail, thinking the swamp and mountains would be a cool shot. I was pleasantly surprised to find the little boat.

Next, Buttermilk Falls. While we were shooting, the gloomy sky opened up and everything turned into mist.

In all my waterfall shots, I had to Photoshop out a woman carrying a gigantic, neon pink umbrella. She was rather cluelessly meandering into all of my frames, trying to get broad vista shots with on-camera flash.

The water here is deceptively shallow, only a few inches deep. I could walk out into it with my Muck boots on. It was so cool. (A side note: Best friend says there are leeches in here, so…maybe don’t swim in it.)

I love the little cairns people leave all over the place.

Sunsets out here are also really just insane. Even at the end of an overcast, rainy day, you can still catch an amazing one. And I was hell-bent on getting some good shots. We staked out a perfect spot on Long Lake and I set up my tripod to wait. Yes, I actually used my tripod. Hold your applause.

I really do enjoy shooting nature, and find the whole process incredibly peaceful. Sometimes the clean beauty of the natural world is a welcome break from the grime I’m usually after. And more grime will of course be what I share next. ‘Til then!