Here I go!!!!

The cameras and lenses have been cleaned. The batteries have been charged. The tripod is packed, and the camera bags have been packed. The car is packed except for the suitcase and the camera bags. The maps and itineries and contacts have all been printed and packed.
I'm ready to go. Will be leaving for VT tomorrow morning and am spending the next 8 days up there photographing Autumn in Vermont in all of her glory.

That's one from the archives and I am looking forward to seeing this year's foliage first hand. Reports coming in so far are lots of bright reds and bright oranges this year.

I'll post here as soon as I can so stay tuned.............

WELCOME AUTUMN 2012

It's here!!! It's finally here!!!!! Yes, I know it arrived yesterday and I am a day late (and probably a dollar short too)
 Happy Autumn everyone! I just know that this is going to be a glorious Fall. Early foliage reports from Northern VT are looking great and I am eager to get up there!! The colors last year were rather muted, and the season was slow to start, and then came to an abrupt end. This year promises more vibrant colors. I'll be up there by the end of this week and from the sounds of things, should be hitting it at peak.
Here is a foliage shot from the archives. I am still using N's laptop, and found some images that I had taken on Oct 16th, 2010. This is one of those images that I originally overlooked, but upon a second look, I really like it. What I like the most about this photo is the angel who is looking down on us. Do you see her? I am posting her here to bless us with a brilliant Autumn season.

 

Nikon D90, 18-200 mm lens, ISO 200, 1/320, f13, -2/3ev

I hope you can find some time to get out and enjoy Mother Nature's most decorated season.

 

Soule Homestead Harvest Fair

I attended the Soule Farm Homestead Harvest Fair in Middleboro MA this past Saturday with some members of my camera club. As always, we had a great time together. The skies were grey, and the sun came out just as we were leaving to head home. (figures!) We made the best of it and avoided the grey sky in our shots. My computer is in the shop being repaired (long story but let's just say I will NEVER give Best Buy or the Geek Squad my business again!) These images were shot in RAW and processed with Picasa on my son N's laptop. I miss my Photoshop and Viveza software but hopefully will get the computer back from repair early next week. I have been without it for almost a month now.
Here are a few shots from that day:

 

Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/400, f3.2, -2/3ev

 

Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/2000, f3.2, -2/3ev

Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/100, f7.1, -2/3ev

 

Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/2000, f3.2, -2/3ev

  Nikon D90, 17-55 mm lens, ISO 400, 1/800, f2.8

Orleans County Fair and more from Vermont

As you know, I love the Fall. There are many things that remind me that summer is nearing an end and that Fall is just around the corner, and those signs were very apparent on my recent trip to VT a few weeks ago. Each year we attend the Orleans County Fair in Barton VT, and this always signals the end of summer for me. The temps always seem to dip on this weekend and there is always a Fall feel to the air. Sweatshirts were needed once the sun set, and morning temps were in the 40's with a blanket of fog in the valleys and dancing on the ponds and lakes at sunrise. The crickets were chirping during daytime hours.These are all sure signs that Fall is just around the corner.......and I love it.
Here are a few pictures from the Fair. It's always such a fun evening for us.

 

The fair food is probably disgusting and we all know that it's unhealthy......but damn it smells good!

 

Saturday evening ended with a Josh Grayson concert (American Idol finalist) He's a great country singer and put on a very good show.

 We took a few drives looking for moose. My son N really wanted to find a moose for his girlfriend Melissa, and wouldn't you know, he found her one! It was a cow moose (female) along Rte 16 E (Willoughby Lake Road) in Barton. We drove right past her, but N spotted her and we backed up to see her. She was amazing but she didn't stick around long enough for me to get any pictures of her. She was camera shy. :-) Here's one of her cousins that we saw. Certainly not as exciting as a moose, but pretty nonetheless.

I love the early morning fog this time of year. Notice the blanket of fog in the valley from this image taken on Hinton Hill Road in Westmore.

 

I am also drawn to photograph the beautiful old New England churches. This is the Westmore Community Church located along Rte 5A by Lake Willoughby in Westmore. I loved the flowers which were in the road island at the corner of Rte5A and Hinton Hill Road so I placed them in the forefront of the church image,

Vermont........it's all I need! :-)