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Colorful Images of Autumn
October 2004
The photograph of the beautiful colors of autumn surrounding the dark branches of a maple tree is the first prize winner for the “Fall” category of our annual photography contest, as reported in the Letter from the Publisher in the September issue of this magazine. We are always dazzled when the leaves turn—each year they seem to be more beautiful. And we are sad when the colors begin to fade. But our photographer, Jeffrey C. Smith, has caught this image at just the right time and found a lovely composition in his camera lens.
Our second image, the second prize winner in the “Fall” category, is “Schoharie Creek” by Philip W. Dezan. He was lucky to be at that spot when the water was still and the reflections were clear. There is a dramatic contrast in the image between the orange leaves on the left and the dark shadow on the right. The clear blue sky above, echoed on the surface of the water, gives the photograph a delightful sense of airiness.
“Reflections” by Maryann Doren is our third prize winner in the “Fall” category, and here the photographer has created an impressive composition with the branches of a tree hovering over the still water of a pond. Yellow, orange, green, brown and blue all combine to create a harmonious image of a sunlit opening in the forest.
Similar colors can be found in our other photographs. The image by John Aylward shows a path through the woods, with fallen leaves covering the ground, and the dark lines of tall trees providing frames for the lovely leaves in the background. Jo Mainetti’s “Swan in the Fall” catches a lovely bird elegantly crossing a crystal clear lake, with a rich yellow-green field on the other side. In Loraine Arnold’s photograph of “Fall Leaves,” we see red and silvery floating leaves contrasted with reflections in the dark water in the background. And the photograph by Randy Williams shows two dark tree trunks creating dramatic vertical lines against masses of orange in the background.
Our final photograph, “Autumn Ablaze” by Philip W. Dezan, portrays a lovely pastoral scene. There are trees filled with orange, yellow and brown leaves in the foreground, a stream reflecting the sky above in the middle, a rich dark green field in the hills on the other side of the stream, and a sunlit hill in the background.
Altogether our photographers have done well to capture the spirit of autumn. Their compositions as well as their colors show outstanding aesthetic sensitivities, and we are delighted to publish their works in this month’s portfolio.
David Finn
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