Autumn's Quiet Passage: Photos from Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Arizona
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
- George Eliot
We're back at Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, yet again for one last Autumn hike this year. What a difference a few weeks has made, both in the foliage and nature's grand color palette.
Shown here are photographs from the same location, taken about a month apart in time. The first two photos are from from early autumn, celebrating the change of seasons in rich golden foliage. What a contrast with this week's scene - the third and fourth photos - showing largely barren trees and a few leaves afloat.
Beyond the obvious changes in the visual scenery, I am struck by other notable qualities marking the autumn's grand finale: A deep chill in the air, the strong aroma of fallen leaves and a heavy flow of creek water. This being an overcast day, the lighting is flat and a bit moody.
Hiking down to Oak Creek, I am struck by the hypnotic sound of cascading waters in the otherwise silent forest. This familiar, entrancing sound ebbs and flows as we wander along the meandering creekside. The wooded area is very still, with the serenity only interrupted by some leaves wafting in the autumn air.
While brilliant Fall colors are the "main attraction," I've been converting some of this year's photos into monochromatic form. For the conversion from color to black and white, I'm using NIK Silver Efex software in Adobe Photoshop. This is an ideal medium for exploration of subtle autumn light, forest textures and time exposures of flowing creek waters.
Thank you for taking a moment to view my autumn landscape photos. Blessings on your day, Marcus
See also, Aspens Aglow in Arizona Mountains: Tilt Shift Lens for Landscape Photography and West Fork Trail, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Arizona: Part 2 - Autumn.
Equipment: Nikon Z7, Nikon 24-70 mm f/5 S lens.