Chasing Fall Colors
Fall is one of the best times of the year. The changing of color, the cooler air, the smell of a wood burning stove as you drive along through the countryside - all senses come alive.
I love fall. I find that I spend a lot of time exploring as much as I can in a short window as the season only lasts so long. Other seasons last for months - you won't really miss much if you put it off for a weekend or even a few weeks. It's not like that during the fall - the colors start to change in waves and just one storm could send all of those leaves falling to the ground. If you miss it, well you'll have to wait an entire year to enjoy it again.
This year is my first year actually getting the opportunity to explore the fall colors of the Northwest. Years prior I have been mostly in Colorado - fall there is truly incredible as you can follow the change as it moves it's way across the state. That's not the case out here - it tends to be far more spontaneous with no real pattern to the progress. Drive up a mountain road and it could be completely green, but head down another valley on the other side of the same ridge and it's bursting with color.
I've had the opportunity to explore the fall colors of this diverse region with some truly wonderful people in a variety of remarkable places. Much of what I have learned on this adventure is that sometimes the best fall has to offer can be found right in front of you. What I mean by that - often I try and get the big picture: capture a mountain scene with a splash of color sitting below a peak - that's not always an option. I found myself noticing the small things: a tree full of color standing next to another tree lichen covered, bushes of color lurking in the shadows of overhead pines, seas of vine maple filling an avalanche chute along a mountainside, a single leaf that has changed amongst it's still green peers - this time of year is inviting for me to explore and push my creativity by looking at things with new perspectives and wide open eyes.
If there is one time of year you should really get outside, this is it. Smell, see, feel and touch everything that this season has to offer.
If you're interested in taking a photo tour and learning more about photography during this time of year, my friend and fellow photographer Randy Bott and I are hosting a workshop this coming weekend (October 20-22).
Please visit the link for more information, to book and to view more photos (which were found along the route we have outlined) - http://www.tjsimonphotography.com/fall-colors-of-the-washington-cascades
This is open to all skill levels - beginners to the more advanced. We have limited this to 10 people per day so we can really allocate 1-on-1 time with each and every one of you.