Southern New England - VT/MA/CT

(October 21st-22nd 2017)

Wanting to get a little more New England Fall foliage shooting in before the season ended I decided to make a last minute trip up to Southern Vermont and Western Massachusetts this past weekend. Headed up to the southern part of the Green Mountains in Vermont cruising as many backroads possible once getting off the highway. Checking out the foliage along classic roads like Route 100, 9 & 8 along the way, finding it to still be peak in some spots but nearing the end in others. The light was pretty harsh for most of the day so getting any solid shots was definitely tough but still an enjoyable ride. Got a hotel room in Bennington, VT for the night instead of heading back home to get another chance at some shots the next day. Started the morning off in the Old Bennington section of town where the Old First Church built in 1805 resides. Always fun to see some of these old New England areas with so much history and stories behind them, especially during this time of year. Picked a route with as many dirt roads possible for the journey south to Massachusetts to see what kind of gems would pop up for possible subjects. It was on this route that I’d stumble across one of the most badass barns yet on any adventure. A large red barn with avbrightly colored foliage background would’ve already made for a perfect composition, but the freshly added mural of a Red-winged Blackbird on the side of the barn made it even more special. This is why I love to just get lost on purpose when I’m adventuring because you never know what you’ll come across that wasn’t listed on any website or Instagram hotspot list.

Crossing over the border in Western Massachusetts via Route 7 and connecting with the scenic Mohawk Trail (Route 2) to head east to the Hairpin Turn overlook in North Adams. This was a main target for me on my list for this last minute adventure to fly my newly acquired drone over the turn to get a cool bird’s eye view shot of it. It’s amazing what kind of perspectives you can now capture with these drones that fit in the palm of your hand and shoot high quality stills & HD video. Another valuable took to have in my arsenal of cameras, lenses, GoPro, and other gear for any possible situation that arises. Loved snapping an overhead shot of the forest here with a vibrant mix of colors all mixed together, looking like a bowl of Fruity Pebbles with reds, yellows, oranges & greens. Then continued the journey south taking in the scenery through the Berkshires until stopping at Campbell Falls State Park on the border of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Took the short hike through the woods to the main falls but unfortunately the light was super harsh and uneven, making it difficult to capture the waterfall how I would’ve liked. Still an awesome spot to visit and made me want to come back another time to try again. When shooting out in nature it’s always a constant battle against weather conditions and lighting to get the type of shots that I am looking to create. The last official stop of the weekend was a few miles south at Haystack Mountain State Park for a quick drive through to see if any scenery in the park caught my eye before continuing south. Came across a perfectly calm pond lined with a variety of colored trees to snap a few reflective shots that I ended up being really happy with. With daylight starting to dwindle I knew it was time to finish the drive home and planned a route back. Of course one road caught my eye to pull over for a classic Fall street shot, but as I was getting my camera set this burgundy classic car came down the road right at me. So I started firing off as many shots as I could knowing that I only had a few seconds and luckily got one in the perfect position. Talk about being in the right place at the right time and an awesome final image to finish off a weekend photo adventure.