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This Japanese maple, standing guard over the small lake behind it, was experiencing its last explosion of autumn color. While I loved the scene as most people would see it, I wanted to explore the feeling of it for me. I wanted to experience the blend of color, texture, and shape all at once – in a single view. So I set the camera to f/20 at 1/13th of a second, then switched to manual focus to blur it a bit while shooting with slight intentional camera movement. In Lightroom, I cropped way into the little vignette, showcasing the dominant red color that is softened by the branches and leaves of nearby maples, with golden light reflecting off the lake.

The color palette of reds, browns, grays, and yellows feels exactly like fall’s last gasp. I felt very lucky to be there, that day, witnessing that beauty.

1.1.22

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