It’s the end of September, which means it’s time to take a look at the month that was. Summer was still hanging in there with several days still seeing temperatures in the 90s with one day reaching 96℉. But, Autumn was making its presence known with many mornings being in the 60s with a couple of mornings getting down to the 50s – almost coat-wearing weather! We even got some rain thanks to Hurricanes Francine and Helene, but it came at a staggering cost for those who endured the full wrath of those storms, particularly Helene. I have personally seen the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Michael in 2018, and I can assure you the photographs and satellite images shown in the news and online do not do justice to the utter devastation that takes place. The areas hit will recover, but they will never be the same.
WHERE I’VE BEEN
The month started off pretty slow. I went out a couple of times early in the month, but I just wasn’t feeling very inspired and ended up driving around aimlessly for about an hour before going back home.
But, things picked up a bit toward the end of the month when I made a trip to Two Rivers Bridge where I discovered this scene of a large tree that had collapsed in the woods with the trees in the background appearing to be paying their respects to their fallen friend. It really seemed rather solemn to me.
A fallen tree lying in the forest, Two Rivers Park, Arkansas
After walking nearly four miles that morning, I headed back home and decided to take the “long way” so I could drive by a small pond that I go by nearly every day on my way home from work. I always give the area a quick scan as I drive by just to see if there’s anything that catches my eye, and that morning, something caught my eye – the first signs of Autumn! I quickly pulled into the parking lot of a small church a couple of hundred feet down the road, grabbed my gear, and walked back to the edge of the pond where I photographed this scene.
A burst of autumn color stands out against the darker backdrop of the forest, Arkansas
The following week, I visited Petit Jean State Park where I spotted this group of fallen leaves. What caught my eye was the contrasting layers: a small twig of yellow-green leaves lying atop a darker layer of red-orange leaves lying on top of a dark rock. Definitely signs that Autumn is nearly here! I’m still going through and evaluating the rest of the images from the trip, so I hope to have some more to share in the coming weeks.
Fallen leaves signalling the coming arrival of Autumn, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas
CATCHING MY ATTENTION
“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk” – Raymond Inmon
FRUSTRATED Landscape Photographer! – I sucked, but figured out HOW TO FIX IT… – Alister Benn (Video)
UPDATE ON MY 2024 GOALS
Goal #1 was to get out at least 25 days this year and at least once every month, and I’m on pace to meet this goal. I’ve been out at least one day every month for a total of 17 days through the end of September, 19 days if I count the days I talked about earlier where I was completely uninspired to go.
Goal #2 was to create at least one-third of my photographs at times other than early morning, which I defined in June as images made two hours or more after sunrise. With only 18 percent of my images meeting this definition, I’ve not done so well meeting this goal at the end of September. But, I have three months to go to accomplish it.
Goal #3 was to create images that are more artistic rather than just “pretty.” The problem with this goal, though, is there is no objective criteria to determine if I’m accomplishing it or not. It really comes down to my judgment, and my judgment so far tells me that I’m not really making much progress. But, maybe this isn’t a realistic goal because it puts too much focus on getting results at the expense of enjoying the experience, which, in turn, causes me to put unnecessary pressure on myself to get those desired results. Maybe I need to rethink this as a goal so I can focus less on results and put more emphasis on enjoying the experience.
That’s my recap for September. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, consider subscribing so you never miss a post.