My first entry. I was walking to my dorm around 5:30 PM (don't let the metadata fool you) a few weeks ago when I noticed this beautiful little moment. I didn't have my camera on me, and I had no time to run back with it, so I just sat there and beheld it for a few minutes. I set a reminder on my phone to keep my gear on me an hour or so before the same time the next day, and luckily, I found a nearly identical scene. Had a friend pose for portraits between the trees after this shot as well.
Shot with a Canon 60D and EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM, 1/200s at f/5.0, 42mm, ISO 125
-Matthew Seal
I went for a walk on a drizzly Saturday in London with my macro lens and tripod. Walking around some trees in St. James's Park in Westminster, I spotted this one green skeleton leaf above my head. Because of the height I had to shoot without my tripod so the slightest breeze would ruin the picture. Took about 15 minutes of steadily holding my breath (and sometimes cursing under it!) to get a sharp frame. Shot with Nikon D300s with a Nikon 105mm macro at 1/200s f/7.1 ISO 800.
-Michael Hazy
I was walking the neighborhood and saw these leaves in my neighbors yard. I had not witnessed this many colors in one area and thought to myself this would be a nice shot. I've had some great looking getting good shots with my camera phone. Maybe someday I can afford to get a 'real' camera.This was shot with an iPhone 4S, ISO80, shutter speed 1/120 F-Stop 2.4. I used two apps to tweak the colors Camera+ & snapseed.
-Michael Rennels
I took this last weekend at Flaming Geyser State Park. I was standing on the bridge that spans the Green River at the park's entrance, watching a group of fishermen wading into the water. When I looked straight down over the edge, I noticed the grass growing up from the bottom of the river was parting around a small island. The color of the grass, blurred slightly by the moving water, looked like a painting.
Canon T2i
Kit 18-55mm lens at 18mm
f/4.5
1/60
ISO100
-Mikel Ugarte
Sony A300 DSLR with a Sony 50mm 1.8 Lens. Used 6 images with different exposures and combined them in Photomatix Pro. Used Pixelmator for final adjustments.
This place is actually part of the track around the old Fort "Kastellet" in copenhagen. This is the place I usually go running. At the fall it looks almost magical, at bit like a background from Lord of The Rings. That's the atmosphere I tried to achieve with the picture.
-Morten Frederiksen
Nikon D80
AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED | Auto White Balance
ISO 200 | 60 mm | 0 EV | f/9 | exposure time: 1/125
I know this shot isn't exactly "leaves", but you can see the colors in the background. In the background is a mixture of leaves on the ground (cottonwood), a Japanese Maple tree (the red), a wild pear tree and a plum tree. This is our cat Toby (short for toboggan, we got him in the winter). He is a great hunter and his favorite prey is chipmunks.
-Nathan Wood
I was wandering around the 2012 Euro Automotive Festival at the BMW Zentrum in Greer, SC a week ago, and this Norton motorcycle caught my eye. For some reason the dark, stark, metallic efficiency of the motorbike, when silhouetted against the brightly colored organic nature of the grass and leaves, made me stop and look more closely. Plus, for us motorheads, I think the photo brings to mind the slightly melancholy feeling of the last rides of the season, before the weather turns cold and the bikes are wheeled off into their garages for the winter...
Fujifilm X100
"Velvia" film simulation
ISO 100
f2.0 at 1/50 second (with the camera's digital, 3-stop ND filter on.)
Vibrance and saturation tweaked in lightroom
-Paul Misencik
During the school year I try to find people at mu University who are photogenic and are willing to model for me. They love to do it, and it proves me with good content for my portfolio as well as practice, and this makes them feel good about themselves. Fall is a great time of year and i'm always exited for it, especially when I add the human dimension to my photograph. shot with a Nikon D600 with 50mm f/1.8 lens.
Focal length: 50mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/50
Aperture: f/1.8
-Pedro Leal
I've always noticed the leaf shadows that sometimes form on the sidewalk after a rain. They seem to invoke a melancholy that goes beyond the simple loss of summer's green. For this contest, rather than capture a more standard image, I wanted to try and relate something else. Here we see the one leaf, already brown and fallen — contemplating, or maybe honoring, ghosts of those who came before.
Sony NEX-7, kit zoom @ 18mm, ISO400, f/4, 1/60"
-Peter Puleo
A Tree's Shadow - October 16, 2012
I was walking around the St. Louis Arch grounds and snapped this picture. The lighting was just perfect and really showcased the yellow/red leaves on the trees. I loved the contrast against the green grass. I was using my Canon 7D (15-85mm wide angle lens), f/22, 1/40s, ISO 400, 31mm. I edited the photo in Lightroom to bring out the shadows.
-Rachael Pawlak
Two weeks ago I went out and try to capture autumn in The Netherlands. Weather was crisp and light was awesome. Picking a picture from that day was quite tricky, but I finally went with the one I enclosed. For me this captures the colours, light and beauty of autumn. I was in the forest close to Wageningen (NL) and the shot was taken with a Canon EOS 50D with my 15-85mm lens. Settings were 85mm / F7.1 / 1/125s @ ISO-100. Was experimenting with on this to capture the early sunlight hitting the drop. Hope you enjoy it and of course I hope to see it back on the front-page
-Remco Brand
This picture took me a morning of getting up very early to catch the sunrise, I took off to a very nice forresty/fieldy area around my town in the Netherlands. After shooting some autumn style pictures this one really popped out, the sunrise behind the brown/reddish birch-tree leaves took it all to the next level. To me, this is autumn, hazy cold weather and beautiful sunrises.
i shot this picture using a Sony Alpha A77 with a 16-50mm DT SSM lens at 50mm. F11, ISO 400 and a 1/320 shutter. location was: +51° 31' 58.27", +5° 19' 59.73".
-Robin Van Overdijk
Camera:Leica D-lux4
ISO: 200
F-Stop: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/30
Little story behind the lens:
This photo was taken at Shenandoah National Park. I was initially going there for a photography club meetup, however, after arriving to the meetup almost an hour and 30min late.(I blame it on the traffic) I decided to walk the other trail myself, there's where I saw this beautiful red leaf laying down peacefully on layer of faded grey leafs. Without a second of hesitation I pulled out my compact camera and snapped this photo, since it's the only macro lens I had on me.
-Ryan Pangpang
This photograph was taken earlier in the year but I thought it would be a fitting submission as down here in Houston we don't really get to experience the change of the seasons we get to see either green or brown J This was taken using a Canon G11 camera with a Hoya RM72 Infrared filter which still lets a little bit of visible color to get to the sensor. The end result is a very unique dreamy like photograph
Canon G11
G11 Fixed Lens @ 11mm f/5
1/2 Second
ISO-400
-Ron Harmeyer
This summer, The High Park Fire burned through northern Colorado, fanned by winds over 50 mph. The blackened Boxelder tree in the photo bore the brunt of flame and heat, becoming an early casualty on the fire's second day. The fast moving fire killed the branches of this grand, gnarled tree, but didn't kill the roots. From the ashes around the trunk sprouted twigs of new life. Knowing about this contest, I watched these sprouts for signs of Autumn. Finally, the yellow arrived. The yellow leaves contrast against the black, dead bark of the Boxelder trunk. To me, it seems like a renewal, a way for nature to say, though Fall is here, life continues. Taken with a Nikon D60 18-55mm lens on a gray afternoon.
-Sally Austin
TECHNICAL:
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Flash: N/A
Exposure: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Focal Length: 75.0mm
LOCATION:
Kancamagus Scenic Highway, White Mountains National Park, New Hampshire
BACKSTORY:
My girlfriend Q and I had been planning a fall foliage trip for several years, since our first trip to Boston, Mass. and New Hampshire. This year felt right and we ended up planning a 10-day trip starting in Boston, and driving for days through the highways and hills of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. It was incredible! What wasn't incredible was me getting instantly sick two days in, starting in Burlington, Vermont - struck with a horrible sore throat, sore muscles, and a fever that kept me down. But we already had our days planned out, so I had to man-up and lay in the car for two days as we trekked across the New England region. While Q drove, we came upon the White Mountains National Park. I was so delirious but I wanted to get out, even if my equilibrium sent me off the path!
We parked in one of the isolated parking spots in the woods, and the fresh air hit my like a ton of bricks. I was shivering from the fever, but at the same time, grateful for the breeze; it was very exhilarating. The temperature was just right, about 58-60, and the sun was coming down in shallow streams through giant chunks of rainy clouds. But it never did rain on our entire stretch through this region, and I was grateful. We were able to take our time with the photography we wanted and not be rushed. Since I could barely move as it was, I made my way extremely slow getting through a pathway that led to the scene of this image. There were two bridges here, and we chose the second so we wouldn't have the few runners getting in our shot. We had a tripod with us, but I figured even in my weak state I could take a good enough shot. There was absolutely no breeze in this area, except for the occasional tuft of air from the water below, and I steadied myself, held my breath, and took the image that you see here.
After taking a few other shots along the way, I was seeing stars at this point, and shambled back to the car, holding hands with Q. The rest of our trip was a blast, and I look back on my sick-self and say "really, really?! was i really that sick?!" and yes, I was. But I am grateful I had enough strength to take those shots that day, the weather was perfect, and I couldn't have asked for a more adventurous girlfriend.
-Seth Kinkaid
My in-laws live in a condo atop a mountain in Vinings, Georgia, which has incredible views of the nearby woods and, on the horizon, downtown Atlanta and Buckhead (to the right and left, respectively). I was there recently and saw a beautiful sunrise casting its rays over the colorful trees below, and grabbed a 3-shot bracketed exposure, merged into HDR via Photomatix. (I accidentally was on P, which bracketed both the aperture and exposure times; I should have locked the aperture at f/8-9, but the results still came out well.)
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX, 16mm, ISO 200, [f/13 @ 1/640 | f/9 @ 1/320 | f/6.3 @ 1/160].
-Shahak Nagiel
The picture was taken at Bosque de Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Having spent several hours looking for wild life on a lake, I turned around only to find this beautiful handsome lone tree embracing the sunset light.
Equipment: Canon Powershot S100; f/5.9; 1/250; ISO 160, 26mm
-Sokunna Chen
This picture was shot with my Nikon D5100 during a lunch break at work. You wouldn't know it but this tree is right across the street from a Jack in the Box. I spent all October looking at the leaves and colors and the reds oranges and yellows jumped out from this one. Then I thought the stark contrast between the leaves and the sky looked nice.
Settings: f/11, 1/160 sec., ISO-100, 18mm focal length
-Steve Lambert
Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T2i
Lens: 18-55 mm Canon IS II
ISO: 160
Exposure: 1/50
Focal length: 35 mm
F-stop: f/5
Photo was taken along the East bluff of Devil's Lake state park near Baraboo, WI. I had been hiking that day after shooting a few panoramic photos around the lake and park. This shot was done freehand along the trail as we were walking.
-Taylor Roehr
This picture was taken during a walk in a nearby park at lunchtime. The foliage was vibrant all around me, and a thought occurred to me: If I lie down on a nearby bench, and point the camera straight up, I could capture a 360 degree view with my fisheye lens. I took the shot, not thinking too much of it. When I saw the image later on, I was pleasantly surprised how nice it came out.
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon 15mm Fisheye
ISO: 200
Aperture: F4.5
Shutter: 1/2000
-Tim Babasade
When the details for this challenge came out, I knew I was in the perfect place to participate. I immediately booked a campsite for the beautiful "North Shore" region of Minnesota. The weather turned out to be perfect that weekend and the leaves were as colorful as I have ever seen them. During our first hike on Oberg Mountain, I took this shot by hand from one of the many overlooks on the trail. Taken with a Nikon D3100, 18-55mm kit lens, circular polarizer, ISO 400 | 22mm | f7.1 | 1/200 sec.
-Tim Dunklee
It was a nice fall day a couple weeks ago and I just grabbed my camera and went out to see what pictures I could get and stumbled upon this location.
I used my Canon 7D with an 8mm Fisheye.
-Tim Nummy
Program Manual
ISO 200
Exposure time 1/4s
Focus 36
Lens 18-55mm
Flash No
Camera Nikon D40
One shot from my Sunday walk around Brno's dam. South moravian nature is nice all year, but on fall it's great. So many colors to see on every step....
-Tomas Otruba
I was with a couple of my buddies on a trip with my band for a music gig South Lake Tahoe on the California side. We had some free time and stopped by to see the lake since one of the guys had never seen it "in real life". I had my iPhone 5 for all of a week or so, and decided to take some quick pics... I couldn't believe the quality that came from the phone... Well I was impressed... The very next day Lake Tahoe had a pretty big storm come in and cover everything with snow... This is probably the last day these trees looked this way...
-Anthony
The cooler weather has started to arrive to the DC area and with that the leaves will shortly start changing color, the jackets will come out and we will be taking beautiful photos with shades of red, yellows and oranges in them. I'm reminded of a quote Albert Camus once said "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. I shot this with my Canon T3i using a macro lens.
•1/640
•F-2.8
•ISO 100
-Tracy Miller
My wife and I drove up to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park on peak color weekend here in Northern VA. Little did I know it costs 15 bucks to get in, but the views were so worth it. This is looking west toward Luray, VA and you can see a few farms down there. We made it to 3 different look outs before we decided we were more interested in finding something to eat than looking at the trees. I took the picture with a T1i and a Sigma 10-20mm lens. It was a 3 exposure HDR with Photomatix, PSE, and some Topaz filtering.
-Tyler Glover
Canon 30D with a Nikkor Series E or S50 f1.4 lens mounted (EXIF: ISO 100, f4, 1/400th). The photo is taken in Chicago near the Garfield Conservatory on a beautiful summery autumn weekend afternoon
-Vivec Jena
This is a picture of my Japanese Maple tree that sits in my front yard. Each Fall it turns brilliantly red before dropping its leaves and bedding down for the Winter. I wasn't sure it would make it through last summer's drought alive but it did!
Canon 5D Mark II
24-70MM 2.8 Canon L series lens
EXIF Summary: 1/80s f/2.8 ISO125 70mm
-Jeremy Waterman
Shooting Summary:
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 60 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Taken on: October 27, 2012
Description:
This picture was taken in my front yard. I saw that the leaves had begun to fall and wanted to capture the leaves at ground level (at their perspective). So I got on my knees, put the camera in the grass, and took a picture. The part that I like most about this picture is the depth of field.
-Yogesh Patel
One Saturday in October my wife left me home alone with our older daughter while she went to work. My daughter had been restless so I decided to take her to our local gardens/park to play. I like to get updated pictures every couple months and the trees had just reached the peak of their color for the year.
I took this photo as we entered into the park. Her eyes, like so many times, are distracted by something else. She absolutely refuses to look at the camera and most of the time I am lucky if she even looks in my general direction.
We spent the rest of the day running around and chasing geese, one of her favorite pastimes. She can run around for hours trying to catch them and simply watching them.
I took this with my Nikon D90, 50mm Nikkor Prime Lens f1/8 lens, set at f2.8, 1/640s, ISO 500. I basically squatted down and looked up at my daughter with the camera. The day was mostly cloudy, but the sun peaked through from time to time. I was very happy with the golden leaves on the tree just behind her and tried to set it up as a backdrop for her red outfit.
-Zachary Keith
The picture was taken around 22.30, on the 19th of September, in a city called Harstad in northern Norway.
I was changing my newborns diapers and was looking out his balcony door, I had to take the picture.
Canon Digital IXUS 75
5.8-17.4mm
ISO 800, f/2.8, Shutter speed: 13 seconds
-Zaher Safa