Author: adminjc

Tracking Fall Colors 2023

Published / by adminjc / Leave a Comment

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.

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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
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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
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Canada

Articles

Photo – Agave Leaf

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

I’ve always liked Agave plants. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and their bloom, a long stalk that grows from the center of the plant, can grow almost one foot per day.

Agave leaf
Click to enlarge

This photo was taken at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California about one hour before sunset, which gave nice directional light to the image.

As you can see from this image, leaves can make an imprint on the leaves around them as they grow. That’s because the leaves at the center of the agave are tightly packed until they eventually spread out.

I processed this image with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Use my 20% discount code, colburn20 for ON1 Photo RAW, or its plugins. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Photo – Red Hand Pictograph

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

ancient red hand print
Click to enlarge

This red, ancient, Native American hand print is near Flagstaff, Arizona. I came across it on a hike, and found several other pictographs next to it. It’s amazing to stand there and realize that someone, maybe 1,000 years ago, created this, and I can still see it today. You feel a bond between some person you never met, and realize that all people are connected across time and geographic locations. It was a humbling, and unifying, experience.

I processed this image with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Use my 20% discount code, colburn20 for ON1 Photo RAW, or its plugins. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Photo – Rough Eucalyptus Bark

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

This is a photograph of the rough bark on a eucalyptus tree. I’m always on the lookout for textures that I can use with my photographs. A texture can really add a special look to some photographs. Give it a try.

I processed this image with ON1 Photo Raw. Check it out at https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz

Use my 20% discount code, colburn20 for ON1 Photo RAW, or its plugins. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Photo – Water Lilies

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Here’s another photo I took last year at one of the fountains at the Huntington Library and Gardens in southern California. I really liked the tranquil quality of the lily pads, water lilies and water.

water lilies in a pond.

The ripples in the water gave a feeling of movement, yet the water was still smooth enough to reflect the water lilies, adding more of their vivid color to the scene.

This image was processed in ON1 Photo RAW.

If you want to save 20% when you purchase ON1 Photo RAW, or their plugins, just use my discount code, colburn20. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

You can purchase ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz or sign up for a free 14-day trial.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

P.S. Due to a medical issue, this will probably be my last post until sometime in July. I’ll try to post sooner than that, it just depends on how everything works out.

Video – How I Processed This Image – Aspen In Fog

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Check out my latest video, “Aspen In Fog” and learn how I created this image, then processed it using ON1 Photo RAW https://youtu.be/J3D6jz0Za4U

You can see all of my videos on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcd8nqgH0CiaveaIlKbE1mA

Aspen in fog
Click to enlarge

I process my images with ON1 Photo RAW editing software. You can visit ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz Using this link will give me a little money, costs you nothing and lets me keep making videos.

You can also use my 20% discount code: colburn20

This discount code is not applicable to subscriptions and cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.

ON1 also offers a 14-day free trial and 30-day money back guarantee.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Floating Purple Flowers

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Last year we took a trip to southern California. One of the places we visited was The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. When I lived in California I visited here often. If you go, and really want to see and photograph everything, give yourself at least two days to see the gardens, and one day to see the museums. You won’t be disappointed.

Be aware that cameras and tripods are not allowed in some museums.

This photo was taken at a fountain near the main entrance. The blue flowers had fallen off of a bush, and the moving water in the fountain pushed all the blooms against these green plants. I also liked the shadows on the bottom of fountain. You will often see dragonflies and damselflies at this fountain too.

Click to enlarge

Also, check out their special events. I went there once for a Bonsai show, and stumbled onto a display of office furniture that belonged to William Herndon. He was Abraham Lincoln’s law partner, wrote the first biography of Lincoln and he’s my uncle. That was a very pleasant surprise.

This image was processed in ON1 Photo RAW.

If you want to save 20% when you purchase ON1 Photo RAW, or their plugins, just use my discount code, colburn20. The discount can’t be combined with other discounts.

You can purchase ON1 here https://on1.sjv.io/15Mjdz or sign up for a free 14-day trial.

ON1 also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk to you.

Give ON1 a try, and save some money too.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Published / by adminjc

Hi Everyone,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Click to enlarge

Here is the greenest picture I have to celebrate this day. I took it last week at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Arizona.

Yes, the trees are really that green, and due to all the rain we’ve had, there’s a carpet of green clover-like plants covering the ground.

The trees are Chilean Palo Verde, Geoffroea decorticans, and are amazing to see in person.

Have Fun,
Jeff