Category: Article

Tracking Fall Colors 2023

Published / by adminjc

Global Warming could make this an interesting season for fall colors. With the flooding, excessive heat and numerous wild fires, I’m not sure what to expect. Hopefully, the reds, yellows, oranges and other colors will be popping up soon, so grab your camera and take some great photographs of Mother Nature’s big show.

Click to enlarge

To help you get the most out of your shooting, I’ve updated my annual list of links about fall colors and where to find them. Since I live in Arizona, I’ve put together a special section for my state. But I also have an extensive listing for the rest of the country and a listing for Canada. There are also links to articles to help you take great photographs of Nature’s display of color.

As you go to these websites, you will often find many links to other sites. You could easily spend an entire day following link after link, or just go to the main pages I have listed here.

I hope you get some fantastic photographs this year. Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your images of changing colors. I’m sure everyone would love to see them. And if you have a favorite place to shoot that’s not on my list, let me know.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Leaves changing color
Click to enlarge

Arizona

  • Fall Colors on the Coconino – This Coconino National Forest site explains why leaves change colors, what trees produce what colors, and hikes to see this wonder of nature.
  • Fall Colors in Arizona – Links to sites for fall colors, broken down by the month they change color.
  • Leaf-ometer – It tells how the leaves are changing around Flagstaff.
  • The Pinal Mountains near Globe offer several trails with maples, sumacs and sycamores that change color. Colors usually peak in late October. Check out the Ice House Canyon trial, Six-Shooter Canyon trail and the Pinal Mountain Range. Ice House can be hard to find, so get directions from the Ranger station in Globe.

The Rest Of The Country

There’s a National Fall Color Hotline too, 1-800-354-4595. Call this number and choose the area of the country you’re interested in and get information on leaf color, scenic drives, peak times for the colors and other fall activities.

Aspens on the Kachina Trail kachinatrail-0098
Click to enlarge

Canada

Articles

I’ve Updated One Of My Most Popular Articles

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Great news, I just updated one of my most popular articles, “Alternatives To Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Adobe’s CreativeCloud.” You can see it here https://www.jeffcolburn.com/articles/alternatives-to-adobe-photoshop-lightroom-and-adobes-creativecloud

This article has been viewed almost 6,000 times. I released it in 2014, but since then some companies have gone away, while new ones have become available.

My favorite new program is ON1 Photo Raw. I’ve been using it for about two years and love it. I use it instead of Lightroom and Photoshop. You can learn more about it, and the free 14-day trial, here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Check out my updated article to see which program will work best for you, and some of these programs are free.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Tracking Fall Colors 2022

Published / by adminjc

Soon, fall colors will be here. The reds, yellows, oranges and other colors will be popping up everywhere, so grab your camera and take some great photographs of Mother Nature’s big show.

To help you get the most out of your shooting, I’ve updated my annual list of links about fall colors and where to find them. Since I live in Arizona, I’ve put together a special section for my state. But I also have an extensive listing for the rest of the country and a listing for Canada. There are also links to articles to help you take great photographs of Nature’s display of color.

As you go to these websites, you will often find many links to other sites. You could easily spend an entire day following link after link, or just go to the main pages I have listed here.

I hope you get some fantastic photographs this year. Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your images of changing colors. I’m sure everyone would love to see them. And if you have a favorite place to shoot that’s not on my list, let me know.

I process my images with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Have Fun,
Jeff

Leaf in a log

Arizona

  • Fall Colors on the Coconino – This Coconino National Forest site explains why leaves change colors, what trees produce what colors, and hikes to see this wonder of nature.
  • Fall Colors in Arizona – Links to sites for fall colors, broken down by the month they change color.
  • Leaf-ometer – It tells how the leaves are changing around Flagstaff.
  • The Pinal Mountains near Globe offer several trails with maples, sumacs and sycamores that change color. Colors usually peak in late October. Check out the Ice House Canyon trial, Six-Shooter Canyon trail and the Pinal Mountain Range. Ice House can be hard to find, so get directions from the Ranger station in Globe.
Aspens on the Kachina Trail kachinatrail-0098
Aspens on the Kachina Trail kachinatrail

The Rest Of The Country

There’s a National Fall Color Hotline too, 1-800-354-4595. Call this number and choose the area of the country you’re interested in and get information on leaf color, scenic drives, peak times for the colors and other fall activities.

Leaves changing color
Leaves changing color

Canada

Articles

Photo – View To The Past

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

I took this photo in 2010 at the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, next to Jerome, Arizona. As you can see, the window is very dirty and created a hazy and washed-out view of the outside.

Canon Rebel XSi / Canon EF-S 55-250mm kit lens at 55mm / 1/200 / f/11 / ISO 200 / Tripod used

I really liked the photo and wanted to make it look its best. But back then Photoshop and other software didn’t have Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do a lot of the work for you, including creating masks.

With my pen table I created a mask that would allow viewers to see clearly through the glass. It was a lot of fun, and I even wrote an article about the process. You can read this article, which was published in two magazines and a website, here www.jeffcolburn.com/articles/make-a-complex-photo-mask-with-a-pen-tablet

While AI is amazing, I still enjoy using my pen tablet to tweak masks.  

And check out ON1 Photo RAW.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Staying Safe When Traveling In Your Car

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

While most of us don’t live in our cars, some of us may sleep in our cars, or RVs overnight when going out on a shoot. Before you do this, check out this article by Nicole Jordan. Two years ago she chose to live out of her car and travel the country. In the article, she lists 17 things she does to stay safe. These tips are good for people who are spending the night in a car or RV, or are even parking at a trailhead to take a hike.

Butterfly – The Arboretum at Flagstaff – FlagArboretum0110
Butterfly – The Arboretum at Flagstaff – FlagArboretum0110

Two things I would add are buying a tool to break a window and cut a seat belt. They are cheap and can save your life. Also, you can set off your car alarm if you are threatened. This will grab the attention of everyone in the area.

You can read Nicole’s article here https://www.yahoo.com/news/ive-living-road-myself-2-204045478.html

Have Fun,
Jeff