Continuing my search for fall color, I took a trip back to Lake Hickson in the Dagmar Wildlife Management Area. I thought that maybe I could find the autumn hues that have eluded me this year. Unfortunately, what I found was that many of the leaves had already dropped and what remained were primarily brown with splotches of green mixed in. It wasn’t exactly what I had hoped, but I figured since I was there, I might as well take my time and look around.
As I drove by Gator Pond, a splash of color caught my eye. I pulled into the boat launch area to take a look, and what I saw was a small bush on the far bank of the pond with some very bright yellow leaves, which was just what I was hoping to find. I set up my camera and took several shots of the bush. As I finished and began to pack up my equipment, I noticed a stand of trees on the opposite side of the pond.
What caught my eye was how the dark graphic lines of the trunks and branches contrasted with the pale greens and yellows of the leaves. I set the camera back up and used my 400mm lens to isolate a small section of the tree line. Since it was a cloudy day, I didn’t have to worry about the lighting.
In Adobe Camera Raw, I reduced the clarity using the clarity slider which provided a softening effect to the image and resulted in a picture that could have been painted on a canvas.
I never did locate those autumn colors that I was hoping to find. But, in the end, I got a picture that I really like, and that’s all that really matters.
Settings: Canon 5D Mk IV, 400mm, 1/13 sec, f/11