Blue hour found me pulling into the parking lot at the High Rocks Vista section of Ralph Stover State Park. This area is beautiful all year round but in my humble opinion it really shines in the autumn where a rising sun from across the Tohickon valley backlights leaves in brilliant yellow and orange hues. The trick is two fold.
1.) You have to get there early. Pre-dawn is best, as by about an hour after dawn you start to lose some of the best backlighting and the parking lot starts filling up from other guests.
2.) You have to hope the leaves stay on the trees. A particularly wet or windy autumn can drastically affect the amount of leaves on the trees by the time they reach peak color.
Finding the right composition was tricky in the pre-dawn light. I knew where the sun would rise and wanted to avoid including the sky as I knew it would blow out any detail if I included it. I also wanted to find a grouping of trees that had some nice color and were pleasing to my eye. The final element was the large rock formation which I wanted to use to as a contrasting subject against the fall color. Getting the balance right took a few tries but I think I achieved it in the end. That being said I wish I could have worked around the young tree in the bottom third of the frame but it simply insisted on being included.
All in all it was a beautiful and peaceful morning watching the birds and squirrels in the early autumn morning light.
Details:
High Rocks Vista (9 minutes)
Video: FujiFilm XT5 (Eterna), 6.2k
Audio: Rycote CA-08 (ORTF), Zoom F3, Bubblebee XS Spacer Bubble Windshield & Fur Cover System
