Steven Bourelle Digital Arts

Sometimes when I’m out shooting I find myself overwhelmed by the beauty that’s all around me. This often happens in fall when the trees are all changing at once. There’s so much beauty that it’s hard to focus on what to shoot. At times like this I try to remind myself to simplify and look for something that stands out from all of the beautiful chaos. Maybe the curve of a tree trunk, a patch of color that’s different from the rest or maybe a single leaf lying on the ground.

Today’s image was taken in Yosemite Valley on a day like that. We were walking a trail not to far from Bridalveil Falls, the colors along the trail were breathtaking and I was having a hard time shooting because if it. Then I noticed this leaf from a Big Leaf Maple. It was just lying there on top of many other leaves and seemed like nothing special. But I liked the way it stood out from the other leaves. Most of them had been on the ground for awhile and were turning brown, but this one was freshly fallen and still had good yellow color.

Using the macro setting on the camera, I moved in close to the maple leaf to make it stand out and to simplify the chaos of the forest floor. Then I used the smallest aperture this camera has, f/11, to make sure all of the leaves came out sharp. Luckily there wasn’t any wind because my shutter speed was close to half a second.

Of all the pictures I shot that day, this is one of my favorites. Not only does it show the simple beauty of nature, but it helps to remind me to simplify when surrounded by chaos.

Technical Details:
Minolta DiMAGE A2
Shot at 25mm
ISO 64
F/11 at 0.6 Sec.
Tripod Mounted

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Fall is a great time of year to try new creative ideas. The colors of the trees open up many possibilities that aren’t there the rest of the year. A good example of this is back lighting. Bright sunlight shining through the canopy of the trees creates a great contrast between the gold leaves and the branches of the tree. Many interesting compositions can be found within one tree. When you add in a whole grove the possibilities become endless.

This image was shot at Humbolt Park in Milwaukee, WI. After shooting many interesting landscapes in the park I began to look upward into the canopy of the trees. Using a wide angle lens I was able to pull in a large part of the canopy. Exposure on a back lit shot can be tricky sometimes. For this image I set the exposure for the sky and then underexposed 3 tenths of a stop more to make sure my highlights didn’t get blown out and my shadows stayed nice and dark. I really like the black branches silhouetted against the bright gold leaves with the blue sky shining through. I placed the sun is behind the main trunk and put it at the bottom of the image to create the nice gradient in the sky.

This year while you’re out shooting fall colors, remember to look up every now and then. You never know when a great image will be just above your head.

Technical Details:
Canon Digital Rebel XTI

EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
ISO 100
f/6.3 @ 1/400 sec.
Exposure Bias -0.3 stops
Tripod Mounted

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Walking along a mountain stream in the fall is one of my favorite things to do. I love the coolness of the air, the sights of the golden trees along the banks, the sound of the stream as it meanders amongst the trees and the smell of the leaves as they lie decaying on the ground. These senses produce a magical feeling in me that only happens in the fall.

Of all the places I love in the Eastern Sierra, McGee Creek is one of the most special. In the fall, certain areas of the creek become mystical in their beauty. Catching the creek during this magical time is a photographers delight. The combination of water, rocks, trees, leaves and colors is wonderful.

This image was taken in such an area on McGee Creek. When I first found this spot, many years before this picture, the creek was a little different. It had the nice curve to it, but not as much as in this shot.  A huge spring runoff and a fallen tree changed the creek quite a bit. I remember the year the tree fell, I was devastated. It fell right across the creek and ruined the shot. But within a year or two the tree was washed downstream a little and it created this beautiful scene.

Technical Details:
Minolta DiMAGE A2
Shot at 28mm
ISO 64
F/11 at 1/3 Sec.
Tripod Mounted

Prints and Usage Rights
For this image can be purchased here.

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Visualization is one of the key elements in creating beautiful photographic images. Whenever I’m outside, I keep my eyes open for interesting things that I can possibly use in a photo. Often times when I see something, I won’t shoot it at that time. Instead, I’ll visualize in my mind what that scene will look like at a later time. Maybe I’ll visualize how it will look after a fresh snowfall when the branches are covered in snow, or maybe how it will look in fall when the leaves have changed colors.  Then I’ll try to remember the scene and go back to it when the conditions are right.

The image above is a perfect example of visualizing an image months ahead of time. This scene is about a mile away from where I live in Kenosha, WI. I noticed it my first summer living there. The tree in the middle caught my eye, and though all the leaves were green at the time, my first thought was, “Won’t that be awesome in the fall.”. In my mind I saw the scene in fall colors. When October rolled around and the trees began to change, I went back to the spot and created this image.

The next time you’re out shooting and you see an interesting scene, try to visualize what that scene may look like when conditions are different. When those conditions happen, go back to that spot and create the beautiful image that you visualized months ahead of time.

Technical Details:
Canon Digital Rebel XTI
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
ISO 100
f/5.6 @ 1/125 sec.
Tripod Mounted

Purchase Prints or Usage Rights for this Image

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