Vibrant
1/2022
We kept it simple for this quarter’s challenge: With COVID-19 still making headlines and limiting travel and adventures for many of us, we figured that we could all use a dose of nature in all its colorful splendor. So, if you are languishing, feeling down, or simply need a visual pick-me-up, this is the gallery for you! We want to congratulate the twelve photographers featured here, and hope that everyone enjoys this gorgeous collection. Thanks to everyone for participating, and make sure to enter our next challenge by using #spm_notripod on Instagram through March 31, 2022.
Attraction
Image by: Andrew Baruffi
Watching the warm morning light creep down the towering walls of Zion's main canyon is a pleasure to witness. Stumbling over the boulders, I approached a wealth of oil suspended in small pools at an outcrop and began studying the small abstract landscapes at my feet. After a few failed attempts, I finally settled on this celebration of light, oil, and nature’s blemishes. A natural frame filled to the brim with warm reflected light framing the stunning motion in the cool-toned oil. A wonderful interaction between color and movement just beneath my feet.
Sunrise Dreams
Image by: Kristen Ryan Photography
As I approached the beach on this morning on Hilton Head Island, I saw a glimpse of the color in the sky and raced down to the water. The pinks and oranges took my breath away with their intense color. It was truly a stunning and magical morning!
The Beautiful Letdown
Image by: Damien Robertson
I love exploring nature in the rain. Not only does rain ensure I'll be alone, it tempers harsh dappled light and aurally closes you in to your immediate surroundings. Rain, on its own, darkens and saturates colour and so easily sets the perfect atmosphere. The vibrant colour here is the result of rain, fallen leaves in early autumn, and noticing the scene needed nothing else.
Boley Lake Sunset
Image by: Jon Wheeler
Sunset was painting the landscape with beautiful warm tones, but the clouds over this cove at Boley Lake were especially beautiful. The reflections on the lake, the fall foliage, and overall warm glow of the scene were compelling. I used a 24mm focal length with CPL close to the ground, to take in some of the clouds and reflections while tying the shoreline leaves in foreground to the forest across the lake. A 1-stop GND filter kept sky and lake well-balanced.
Resolute Twins
Image by: Logan Hertes
Living near an area that has badland formations has its perks. After heavy rains I would often venture out and check the area to see if any mud cracks had formed. I was lucky enough to come across this area after work one evening. I patiently waited as the sun went down hoping for some of that beautiful reflected light. I sat for about an hour and a half shooting the vibrant mud and leaves. As the light vanished, I reflected on my shots. I smiled as I realised that a slow approach and patience with photography is always worth it.
Repose
Image by: Alberto Bellini
This image is all about the little details of the forest floor, as well as the peak autumn color of the canopy... All embellished by the soft rain that brought out those textures and colors and made the experience of capturing it beautiful.
Maple Leaves
Image by: Leanne Zeller
The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing when we visited the local arboretum. I was captivated by all the brilliant colors - red, yellow, orange and green. As I looked around at the dazzling autumn scene, the maple leaves overhead caught my attention. The clouds behind them provided the perfect backdrop to accentuate the curve of the branch and the beautiful shades of the orange leaves.
Marcescent II
Image by: Michele Sons
An American beech clings proudly to its withered orange leaves through the winter... a phenomenon known as marcescence. I always love to see a juxtaposition of color like this in a snowy landscape. The surroundings at this location were not ideal, since it was a park setting with cars and people milling about, so I chose to use in-camera multiple exposure to disguise the developed setting, and also to bring the forested surroundings into the frame. I think this technique works well for a more impressionist, expressive representation of this Appalachian winter scene.
Endless Summer
Image by: Christopher Warren
I love the energy and brilliant colors that are present as the sun is just breaking the horizon. With the position and the radiance of the sun changing every second, it offers endless compositional opportunities in just a short period of time. To make the best of them, I set up in the ocean with my camera in a water housing before the sun breaks the horizon. This time of the morning in the ocean is pure serenity for me.
Essence
Image by: David Wallace
I couldn't pass up this reflection during a visit to Cleveland this fall. Images that are about more than just the fall color have drawn my attention in the past few years. I knew I wanted to include the colors, but the abstraction from the reflection and the inclusion of the trunks as a complement to the pops of color are what complete the image for me.
Autumn Sentinels
Image by: Nikhil Nagane
I was enjoying solitude on a foggy autumn morning in the woods of western New York, when I came across this small scene and I was instantly captivated. The fog spread across the woods helped isolate some colorful foliage while the thick tree barks stood like sentinels, guarding the autumn trees.
Vibrant Frost
Image by: Tracy Babbitt
The first frost of the season arrived on a crisp, October morning. I went for a short drive after getting out of work that morning, just to reset my mind before going to sleep, and saw this group of leaves as I drove. This was a lively frost in that it coated everything with beautiful, crystalline etchings. The contrast it created enhanced the delicate anatomy of the leaves, transforming the muted tones of decay into a last show of vibrancy. It was almost as if they were giving one last encore, after the brilliant colors of fall had subsided.