Monday, November 30, 2015

10/25/15 Fall Foliage: 2015

Fall colors exploding on this morning at Sommer Park as fall colors peak last month in Peoria, IL 

Last month, I once again took some time out of my busy schedule to shoot some autumn scenes in Peoria, IL. I shot these photos with my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 7D using several different Canon lenses that I have in my camera bag. I ended up hiking and photographing the fall colors at Charter Oak Park, Sommer Park and a local cemetery along U.S. 150. These parks are located on the northwest-side of Peoria, IL and are about 5-10 minutes from my home which make them a frequent destination of mine. I was once again quite happy with my fall foliage photos this year as I was able to capture some amazing fall colors. Fall is one of my favorite seasons as I use the season to sharpen up on some photography while taking some time to enjoy the mild weather as well. Last year and in years past I have been able to capture some amazing fall scenes Mother Nature provides every year. I've added my 2015 fall collection below:

Red maple trees exploding in color along U.S. 150 and Trigger Rd.
 Golden-hour shortly after sunrise provided this fall scene!
A wind farm and a fall landscape!
One of my favorite macro-shots of the season!
Epic fall foliage!
 Valley fog amidst the fall colors along the horizon...
 Harvest time!
Some wildflowers...
 I shot this photo a couple weeks before the colors began to change at the park to illustrate the upcoming change in seasons...
 "Season change"
 A red maple tree bursting with color as some morning fog begins to burn-off!
 You don't get much better light than this...
 A red maple macro-shot!
This was a beautiful morning for fall photography!
Soy beans ready to be harvested in this farm field!
 Charter Oak Park entrance...
 Red maple trees as far as the eye can see!
 I took some time to snap a fall portrait on this evening!
 Black n' white version...
 I've got the park all to myself here...
"Nothing runs like a deere"
 A row of red maples!
 Red maple's were really vibrant in color this year!
More great fall foliage...
 Fall colors everywhere!
 My favorite red barn and some valley fog...
 "The winds of change"
 "Peaking fall foliage"
 Eye-popping yellow(s) on this morning...
A fall scene at a local cemetery...
Breath-taking fall color!
A red maple close-up!
Another nice fall landscape!
Quite a fall scene!
A past peak fall reflection!
I was happy I woke up early on this morning...
Red's, orange's, yellow's...
"It was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other.  I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It's so beautiful" -Forrest Gump
I love the colors here...
A neat fall scene!
Another fall reflection...
More good stuff!
Prairie grass showing signs of fall as well!
"Color burst"
One more red maple macro-shot!
Hiking trail at Charter Oak Park!
"Two skies on top of each other"
Another evening hike!

That wraps up my 2015 fall collection. It was another successful season of photography for myself and I was able to enjoy the great outdoors on a few occasions as well. I'll be adding winter posts over the coming months as we enter the winter season. Until then...

Thursday, November 26, 2015

10/18/15 Starved Rock & Matthiessen State Park Fall Foliage: 2015

Fall foliage peaks at Matthiessen State Park on an October morning near Oglesby, IL 

Last month, I spent most of the month purchasing and moving into my first house, but I also found some time for some fall photography as well. I ended up visiting and hiking at Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park near Oglesby, IL on a couple of occasions to capture some fall colors again this year. I've become a frequent visitor at these parks over the last few years especially during the fall season. These two parks do provide some great photography during the autumn months and throughout the year in central Illinois. As usual, I shot several landscapes and macro-shots showcasing the changing fall colors of autumn last month. I shot these photos with my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 7D using several different Canon lenses as well. I've added a wide-assortment of photos from a couple days of photography at these parks below:

I came across this leaf in a puddle during one of my hikes and it provide a nice photo-op!
 Trees peaking in color atop the canyon walls!
Amazing "golden" colors here...
Quite a fall perspective!
A nice fall photo-op using this colorful leaf and log along one of my hikes...
 "Blinded by the light"
 I love this bridge along River Trail at Starved Rock State Park
 Peak to past peak fall foliage along the Illinois River!
 Vibrant!
Edna's tree near the southeast entrance of Starved Rock!
Two fisherman at sunrise on a chilly October morning along the Illinois River in Lacon, IL
Fall colors peaking along the Illinois River!
 One of my favorites this year!
A fall self-portrait!
 This trail provided some spectacular fall foliage on this day...
 Quite a bit of fall colors are present here!
"Everybody get golden and put your hands up to the sky"
Some reds beginning to peak at Starved Rock!
Beautiful colors on this hike!
More peaking fall foliage...
This rock provided a great prop for a fall photo!
 A red maple
"Through the woods, we ran deep into the mountain sound"
A photogenic bench along a trail...
"Fall reaching to the sky"
My favorite bridge!
Mother Nature providing woods of gold...
Autumn begins...
Another fall portrait!
If you haven't guessed it already I like to photograph bridges...
I observed my fair share of yellow maple trees along my hike!
A morning fall reflection at Matthiessen Lake
A frosty morning along the Illinois River!
I'm a big fan of this shot!
Quite an epic staircase...
"Changing colors"
I shot a photo of this bridge last year, but this time the sun made an appearance...
A new season begins...
Love it!
Another shot of Edna's tree!
 A great day for hiking!
 Beautiful!
 A photogenic fall reflection!
 A red maple going "color crazy" during a very mild October afternoon...
 A variety of fall color!
Another morning hike...
"Water under the bridge"
A chilly fall morning, but it was well worth hiking and observing the fall colors on this day...
More fall colors filling up my camera's viewfinder...
One last shot as I call it a day at Starved Rock...

Overall, I was quite happy once again with many of my shots I took during my couple of days hiking at Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park. I also shot fall photos locally as well and I'll be posting my fall 2015 fall collection in the coming days.