It takes me a while to embrace each new season. I tend to cling to the waning season, holding on to the past, wishing for more. Like now, I am just starting to get excited about autumn. The realization that summer is gone is just now hitting me. Yes, Brown-eyed Susans, some goldenrods and asters are still blooming. Yes, a few butterflies are still out on the warmer days, but I do understand that the flowers will be done soon and the butterfly I saw today—a Red Admiral—is just looking for a sheltered place to hibernate…Even the insects have resigned themselves to the reality of fall.

So now, on this first day of fall, I finally have become excited about the prospects of autumn. And I’ve made a photographic wish list of images I hope to take before winter sets in. I hope to call in a few Moose, preferably bulls with big antlers. The next full moon is in late October and I have an image in mind involving Sandhill Cranes at Crex Meadows. A few fungi have eluded me thus far and I hope to catch up with some in the next couple weeks.

But the kaleidoscope of leaf colors call to me as I drive home each evening. But how can I put a fresh spin on such a commonly photographed subject? That will be my challenge this fall. Stay tuned! The images here were taken last October. The dew is real but I did set the yellow Quaking Aspen leaf on top of the nearby Red Maple leaves, whose undersides really are that purple!

Top Image: Canon 7D, 70-200mm f4 lens (at 78mm) with Canon 500D close-up attachment, f19 at 1/30 second, ISO 400, tripod

Bottom Image: Canon 7D, 70-200mm f4 lens (at 200mm) with Canon 500D close-up attachment, f19 at 1/90 second, ISO 400, tripod