Photo Essay of Vermont, New England

Photography © John Baker, Travel Images

This photo essay represents the typical range of subjects on a Travel Images photo tour, and are selected in the knowledge that every client is able to obtain similar images. That is the goal for each of my clients.

Vermont by Wendy Beeghley

This is a 'no click' zone! . . . just scroll on down . . .

The Vermont autumn photography trips start in Albany, NY, and on our way to Vermont we detour for images such as this. It was shot with a wide-angle, and an aperture of something like f.22.
	Old Bennington in south east Vermont is a photogenic stop for color and history. This 306' monument is the tallest structure in Vermont, and commemorates a revolutionary war victory. The gentleman is general John Stark.
Don't you just love it when leaves fall in such ideal spots?! Well, OK, I checked that my artistic license hadn't expired, and placed the leaf where I wanted it. I think it's an effective end-product, and I also have a clear conscience!
	Fungi on a moss-laden tree. Being so close, one needs a tripod and a small aperture to it sharp from edge to edge.
I used a tripod and a slow shutter speed to capture the movement in the water, and get a little bit of contrast with the leaves. Now if only those leaves had been bright red!
	A serendipitous shot that happens when you're setting up for a different image entirely. This is when it pays to know you're equipment well, and be able to change the settings in a flash and capture a fleeting moment.
It looks like the middle of nowhere, but it's the main street in Woodstock. The use of a long lens compresses the perspective, and I'm able to gain some impact while omitting any town distractions.
	Woodstock number two, which is more like the Woodstock we know. Long lens again for this one.
The third Woodstock image is the Middle covered bridge. To make it interesting I made sure that I included some autumn color in the foreground.
	This has 'New England' written all over it . . . even though it says 'Maple Syrup.' Well, you know what I mean!
Sometimes the impact of a shot is in the contrast. Here a simple image of a branch takes on a new face with the contrasting background of distant Maple groves.
	Same again for this one. The strong black lines of the leafless tree provide the impact in this shot.
A good candidate for a birthday card or similar. Just very pleasing to the eye. OK, you can go skipping through the leaves when I'm not looking!
	As it's autumn in Vermont I thought I'd better frame the waterfall with some autumn color, rather than do a close-up. The softness of the water is an indication that my shutter speed was a 15th of a second or slower.
Sleepy Hollow farm near Woodstock. Over the years the original owner was very obliging to photographers with the placement of red tractors and the like, but now it's owned by one of the Aerosmith guitarists. It's still very photogenic, and who knows, I might find a spare drum kit in those leaves one of these years.
	Swivel left after that last shot, and you have this. What is it about leafy lanes, barns, and photographers?!
Another classic Vermont farm near Peacham. The year this was taken the colors weren't as good as some other years, but the red Sumac in the foreground takes up the slack for this image.
	Kent Pond with glorious color, and Doubleday Mountain provides the perspective by hovering in the gloom.
OK, we now move on to leaf close ups starting with something simple taken near Stowe.


I've already talked about the impact that contrast has, and I'm wondering if you see it too?! For the second shot I zoomed back during the one second exposure to get the radial blur. Of course, it can also be done in PhotoShop

You're beginning to see that I'm a real sucker for these leaf shots! This pair are straight shots except that the image at left was taken in overcast light, and the other in sunlight. The image at right has more impact because of the color saturation the lighting provides.
You can't have a Vermont photo essay without a few white steeples thrown in, so here's the first in Washington near Barre.
	The second is the much photographed Peacham church. The distant peak is Signal Mountain in the Gardner mountain range.
Cambridge gets in on the act with it's church framed by contrasting trees. I keep telling ya', contrast is good!


And so to Waits River. These shots may look alike at this resolution, but the image at left is peppered with cables and power poles, and just won't do! So, I spent just over an hour taking out all the distractions to arrive at the image at right. If you're ever on a trip with me, remind me to show you the two images at full size.
On one dawn run, much colder than normal at the time I might add!, we were shooting in a wood near Barre when fog made it's way up the hillside and into the trees. The shot at right looks nice, enough, but things got better . . .

It was bitter cold that morning, but we were warmed by this magical light.

The trick with fog, is to find your way to the edge of it, and you'll find a mix of sun, fog and subject just waiting to be immortalized in pixel form.
	Yeh, yeh, yeh, it's Vermont all right!
This Sumac bush looks OK, back-lit and all, but . . .
	. . . let's get in close. Yep, more impact by filling the frame, and carefully recording the symmetry so that the leaves contrasted with each other.
Who says you can't get good light at midday? This image of Jenne Farm near Woodstock was taken at noon, and blows away the old school of thought in regard to light at the middle of the day.
	But, dawn is more likely to have fog around, so we drag ourselves out of bed for images such as this.
These last two shots are connected in that they were taken just minutes apart. Yes, a sunset in one direction . . .
	. . . and a moonrise in the other. A perfect way to close a day. [and a photo essay]

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