“On a Crisp Autumn Morning”

Brrr! The deep plunge in temps is inspiring me to share this, as many of us will have woken up to a crisp autumn morning indeed!

This photograph is one of my early favorites from when I had recently transitioned from 35mm to medium format film. I essentially stalked this Sugar Maple over the duration of about 2 weeks, patiently waiting for the moment of perfection…

I had known about this beauty from frequent visits to a place that used to be just a hop, skip and a jump from where I lived - Whipple Dam State Park. On one early October afternoon, I went to investigate the color of the young Autumn in this forest and found that this maple had just begun to catch what I call “the fire.” It was green still, all but the tip of the central most branch in the image which was burning orange and I thought to myself - “I am going to keep an eye on you.”

Every 3 or 4 days over the next couple of weeks I went to check on the progression of things. Fortunately, we were having a lovely Fall that year. Color was evolving at a nice pace without disturbances and the maples in particular were glowing amidst the oaks, beeches, and pines. After several investigations, one late afternoon I stood admiring the scene, and knowing we were to have our first real frost that night said - “tomorrow morning is it!”

And so, on the morning of October 17th, 2012 I brewed my coffee pre-dawn, bundled up, drove over the mountain to the park and awaited the rising sun. It was such a peaceful morning and I recall truly reveling in my surroundings as I sipped my coffee, contemplating my life at that time and the beauty of this Autumn forest - the mist rising off the lake as dawn grew brighter, the thawing frosted leaves on the ground, and this fiery Sugar Maple standing proud in the midst of it all. And after I snapped the shutter a few times, I sat some more just breathing it all in - the look, feel, and smell of Autumn all around on this crisp, bountiful morning!

Albeit you most likely will not find the same vibrant color in mid-November as you would in mid-October (depending on your geographic location anyway), I urge you to get out and take a deep breath of some brisk morning mountain air sometime soon. The low light this time of year is beautiful, and you never know what you may find that speaks to you or the wonders it may do for your soul!

“On a Crisp Autumn Morning” - Brandon Kline

“Autumn’s Divine Glory”

Hello folks and welcome several newcomers! It’s been a few weeks and yes I am still in the middle of telling my story from out West back in August! I assure you that will be completed soon! I’m just getting back from an Autumn adventure up in New England the past few weeks and will have another story to tell🍁😁 But, for right now, I didn’t want this image highlight to wait any longer, as scenes like this are fully consuming my mind of late…

I have been blessed to gaze upon and revel in such Autumnal beauty throughout my life so far. One of my inspirations in life, Rodney Lough, Jr., once said “to view a leaf turned color at the height of Autumn is purely divine.” The more I think about this quote over the years, the more I couldn’t agree more. It just fills me with such pure joy!

From my journal on October 6th, 2016 from where I made camp off of the Long Trail hiking up Mt. Mansfield in Vermont. I came upon these beckoning Sugar Maples late in the day and made camp right here to catch the dawn’s light setting them on fire -

“Earlier today I smelled Fall distinctly for the first time this season. Halfway up this mountain, on the Long Trail, the delicious smell of Autumn leaves in the crisp air! Mixed with the strong scent of pine and fir and the Earthy aroma of damp soil in the coolness of shade towards sunset, the smell evoked the spirit of the season!

Within this forest of Maple, Birch, and Evergreen, I sit with my eyes and thoughts fixed upon the stars and the silhouetted giant trees. Leaves tumble down upon me in the breeze as I drift amongst the stars.

I await the morning light to cast it’s glow upon these mountains, ablaze with Autumn fire like I have only ever imagined…

I awoke this morning to a magnificent pre-dawn glow, accentuating the orange glow of the maples with it’s pinkish-purple hue. The first rays of light to touch these beauties were purely divine. Highlighted Birch bark and fiery Sugar Maple leaves contrast against the shadow of the Green Mountains. What a majestic scene in this golden light!

The heavy smell of fir mingles with the unmistakable scent of Autumn. The leaves, the cool air, the dampness in this refreshing light. It is so peaceful as birds softly chatter and it lulls me back to a dreamy state…

Autumn’s glory, so fleeting and so precious.”

“Autumn’s Divine Glory” - Brandon Kline

The Sweet Songs of Spring...

         Perhaps when you look at this image, despite the pretty flowering trees dispersed throughout, it just seems like a big mess.  That's ok, sometimes I feel that way too.  In fact, I debated a lot over making this photograph part of my collection.  After several views though and transporting myself back to this moment in a place I treasure every Spring, it hit me.  The very reason I composed the scene the way I did was to encompass everything I could in the frame about this place that is special to me this time of year.  

         Picture yourself sitting peacefully in this tangled mess of forest bursting with new life, it is a beautiful Spring morning with the perfect mixture of a warm sun and a cool breeze.  Vibrant green surrounds you, such as the leaves of this young Sugar Maple hanging right in front of you, destined to be a majestic Autumn dazzler someday.  As you look all around, purple and pink dots of the Redbuds are everywhere, entrancing you with happiness.  And front and center, growing just enough year after year to work it's way into this clear open view, is the White Flowering Dogwood, brilliant as can be.  Unable to resist smiling with the joy of this re-birth of the forest, you just sit there and take it all in, the air filled with the sweetest scents of lilac and fresh flowers wafting in the breeze and the morning chorus of the birds rejoicing these sweet songs of Spring!

                                                                                                                   Brandon Kline

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"Sweet Songs of Spring"