Dreaming the World

Today dawned cloudy and chill yet has transformed into a gloriously sunny day.The day is cooler than yesterday, but still well above seasonal norms as have most days been this autumn. We did not turn on the heat until last week when we finally had a very chilly, damp spell..

Our fall has been long and sensuous, with deep leaf color unfurling over several weeks. It has also been stormy and we had a day without power when an early nor’easter took down many trees.The past two autumns were dry, with very little color, the leaves just turning brownish and falling from the trees.

Now the autumn breezes are stripping the leaves from the trees as I watch. A week ago we had someone clean our gutter as they were so leaf choked water was gushing over their edges. Now the gutters are filled again and the trees near the house are far from bare. Hopefully the leaves have dried enough so that our next rain will wash many from the gutters.

I’ve been out with a camera as often as possible. I like being out when the light is soft and vibrant (don’t most photographers?) which means early morning and late afternoon. The time change over last weekend means that instead of sundown at 5:30, it now comes at 4:30.

The sun is now low in the south all day, so the slant of light illumines foliage and throws long shadows, especially during the corners of the day. If I go out too late, I find myself chasing the light as it quickly transitions to a more harsh tone. Monday I discovered that after about 4:00 the quality and intensity of light falls very rapidly, much more quickly than I had anticipated.While I am not held to the traditional 15 minutes, time remains precious.

The other evening I went out late, the sun having largely set save for the last flares of color at the top of the trees. For whatever reason the soft, vibrant light held on, creating a sort of magic that so entranced me I missed an important meeting. I did manage to grab a surprising number of exceptional photos though.

I find photographing under the right conditions feels a lot like prayer and brings me closer to Nature. It is indeed a gift.

Well, the library just emailed to let me know that several books I had put on hold have arrived and await my picking them up. How is it, do you think, that books always arrive in clumps rather than being usefully spread out? The light is lovely so I’ll grab a camera and go.