Apple Hill

A recent afternoon outing with a fellow photographer resulted in about 100 images. We went up Hwy 50 to the vineyard and orchard land known as Apple Hill. Lots of apple orchards, pumpkin patches and a few wineries set in rolling, quiet landscapes.

We stopped at one winery early on, but the light wasn’t right and the grapes had, for the most part, been harvested. Still, the vineyard looked beautiful-even more so when we returned for our last stop of the day.

 

We pulled to the side at a wooded turn in the road. A tiny creek ran under the two-lane road through a culvert. Where it exited it dropped down a small step and continued its way into the forest. What looks to be a scene found after a long hike in the wilderness is actually just under the roadway, with cars passing overhead.

 

Along the same road the sun backlit the leaves of some trees. I underexposed a little to bring more color to the leaves. The trunks have a gentle right to left rhythm, while the background changes color as the eye moves across the scene.

 

Today’s final shot is near the small waterfall in the second photo. When I turned around after taking that image I saw the creek meandering into the woods. An open patch of sky reflected in the water, so I composed to include it. A long exposure was needed because of the dim light, but that also had the benefit of smoothing out the creek water, adding to the calm feeling of the scene.