Autumn in Ohio

As fall comes to a close here in Ohio I can’t help but reflect on how fast this year has gone by.  Hard to believe that winter is right around the corner.  It has been a fascinating fall season for me this year.  Never thought I would have spent as much time as I did this fall photographing fall landscapes, waterfalls and such.  Suppose it is just myself trying to be a better-rounded photographer.  It is nice to know that when wildlife that I commonly photography isn’t active that I have another interest in photography to fall back on.  I think the light switch flipped with my appreciation and interest in landscapes last fall.   

My friend had come up from Florida to photograph the Wood Ducks, the Wood Ducks that were largely void last year.  So I was forced to show him around some of the more scenic areas of Ohio so he didn’t go home completely empty handed.  Normally, this time of year I would spend the majority of my time photographing the Wood Ducks up at North Chagrin Reservation.  So with the presence of Duck largely not present, I took him around various places in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Bedford Reservation, and South Chagrin for autumn landscape opportunities.  As we went around the various locations listed I found myself really getting into the challenge of photographing landscapes.  More of a challenge mainly because you have usually create an interesting focal point in a vast scene, sometimes that is more easier said then done.  Definitely makes you think more and while I won’t get as excited over a landscape scene compared to a wildlife scene, I do enjoy the change of pace and challenge of it. 

This time last year, the only tool I really had for landscapes was a Hoya polarizer.  I mainly used this to create more saturation in my colors as well as decreasing about a stop of light when capturing waterfalls.  When I photograph waterfalls, I like to create a silky look of the water.  Not everyone is a big fan of this, but I like to think that it helps create a more dream like feel to the overall image.  When my friend was up here last year I noticed he had some strange looking square filters.  Not anything that would screw onto the front of a lens.  He had/has the LEE filter set.  Until then I had never heard of LEE filters before.  At the time, the only filter I really knew of was a polarizer.  It was around earlier this year that I found myself purchasing the startup kit for the LEE filters, the foundation kit.  Slowly adding to my collection of expensive but indispensable filters from them I know use a .6 and .9 ND filter.  Also a .6 and .9 ND Soft Grad filter. I have to say for the purchase of those filters, I have used all of them, and use them frequently when photographing waterfalls.    So with that I wanted to share some of my more favorite autumn landscape images from this past fall. 

Chagrin River Falls, South Chagrin

Quarry Rock, South Chagrin Reservation

Downstream Brandywine Falls, CVNP

Bridal Veil Falls, Bedford Reservation

Blue Hen Falls, CVNP

Brandywine Falls, CVNP