alittlenews

Hurricane Creek. Photo by Gary Cosby Jr.

I am just about too late with this one.  Normally, I am very enthusiastic about shooting any fall color that might appear in north Alabama.  There are plenty of years when we go from green leaves to brown leaves with very little intermediate color.  This year was a nice fall but I was just in no mood to enjoy it.  The color has just about all faded away now but last weekend I went on a Cub Scout hike with my boys David and Peter  in Hurricane Creek Park in Cullman County.

The place is beautiful and it is the first time I have ever been in the fall.  It is a series of hiking trails winding around and over Hurricane Creek with steep ascents and descents up and down the surrounding hillsides.  The last colors of fall were evident in the trees.  I had my camera to make some pictures of the boys but found myself shooting a lot of fall color.  If you live in a landscape like north Alabama you will have already discovered that sweeping panoramas and beautiful vistas are pretty rare.  Neither will you find the glorious colors of a fall in the northeast.  To a person who grew up here it can look, well, ordinary.

One tried and true technique I have found for shooting landscapes in Alabama is shooting what I will call a limited landscape.  You basically select a small portion of a larger landscape or some small detail of an area that kind of interprets the area as a whole.  This can be anything from a single leaf to a hillside.  The idea is to try to capture a very selective field of view rather than a sweeping panorama.  Now, one caveat here.  I have seen some beautiful panoramic style landscapes from some men like Charlie Siefried who have shot extensively in Alabama.  In fact, Charlie lives in Decatur.  But his technique is to shoot an actual panorama that is very wide and narrow and they are beautiful.  You can see a contrast in technique by viewing his work. Charlie travels all over the world shooting and you can see how he uses the grand vista and the limited landscape techniques very effectively depending on the situation.

Since I haven’t traveled the world, my landscapes are usually shot in and around our three county coverage area in north Alabama so my landscapes are usually not the sweeping variety.  Landscapes do have a place in the feature portion of photojournalism.  There is nothing that pleases the eye quiet like a scene of serene beauty.  Our paper will run a few landscape style shots every year.  Readers love them.  Our editors will actually request landscapes during the fall and spring because they too are seeing the beauty around us.  Plus, shooting landscapes gives you an actual excuse, if one is ever needed, to spend a little time out in nature which is just about always a good thing.

I want to conclude this post with a wish for you all to have a happy Thanksgiving.  I read in a book once that when the first Thanksgiving rolled around the settlers in Plymouth Colony began their meal with a single kernel of corn.  It was to commemorate the starving time of the previous winter when that was their meal ration.  Many, many in the colony died of starvation or of disease so those survivors who sat around the table that year really had something to be thankful for.  Probably we will all have a bit more than a single kernel of corn to eat Thursday but lets make an effort to remember why we are sitting around a table filled with plenty.  Take just a moment to look back over the ages and tip your hat to all those who sacrificed so much to build the nation that we now enjoy.  Maybe it would be good to take a look forward too and see what we can be doing to hand on a great nation to those who are coming after us.  Most of all, thank the Lord for your life, your health and for those around that table with you.  Many, many blessings to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Photos copyright Gary Cosby Jr.  The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.