Northeast Ohio Fall Colors 2024 - Mike Vrobel Photography

Fall color flew by quickly this year. It felt like we had a few days of peak, vibrant colors. Then, a rainstorm blew through, stripping all the colorful leaves from the trees. (Of course, those peak days were during the work week. Isn't that how it always goes?) Still, it was good to get out and take some fall photos.

These photos use a few of my favorite Fall foliage tricks:

Use a polarizing filter to cut reflections on the leaves, bringing out their richer colors
Use a Neutral Density filter when photographing running water to slow down the shutter and smooth out the water. In fall, when the leaves are reflected in the water, this helps bring out their colors - the longer exposure smooths out ripples and shows the reflection better.

Station Road bridge

(Train station) Fujifilm X-H2 with Fuji 10-24/4 WR lens and a polarizing filter. ISO 125 1/50sec f/11.

Station road bridge, over the Cuyahoga river in the middle of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, is a great place for fall photos. (I want to get a picture of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Rail train going through, but the train is not using the north part of its line due to a washed-out section of the track.)

(Station Road bridge and Cuyahoga River) Fujifilm X-H2 with Fuji 10-24/4 WR lens, a polarizing filter, and an ND filter to stretch my shutter speed and smooth out the river. ISO 125 3sec f/8.

Everett Road Covered Bridge

(Covered Bridge) Fujifilm X-H2 with Fuji 10-24/4 WR lens, a polarizing filter, and an ND filter to stretch my shutter speed and smooth out the river. ISO 125 60sec f/11.

I love this covered bridge in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with the big rocks in the middle of the stream to add an interesting foreground element.

Cascade Overlook

(Cascade Valley Overlook) Fujifilm X-H2 with Fuji 10-24/4 WR lens with a polarizing filter. ISO 125 1/60sec f/8.

Another one of my regular haunts, Cascade Valley Metropark Overlook in Akron, has a sweeping view of an oxbow in the Cuyahoga River. I loved the way the sun was burning through the morning mist, leaving streams of light through the trees.

And, I was playing with a fisheye lens. it was so wide that I couldn't use my camera's grip - my fingers were in the frame. You can still see the railing of the overlook, and my shoes, even though I was holding the camera straight out from my body, as far as I could reach.

Cascade Valley Overlook with Fisheye Lens

(Cascade Valley Overlook Fisheye) Fujifilm X-H2 with 7Artisans 4mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. ISO 125 1/60sec f/8.

Finally, I caught the fall colors and a couple walking in the park. This is one of the few photos I got this year where Fall colors really lit up.

Cascade Valley Overlook Trail in fall with walkers

(Walkers on Cascade Valley Overlook trail) Fujifilm X-H2 with Fuji 10-24/4 WR lens with a polarizing filter. ISO 125 1/30sec f/11.

Squire's Castle

(Squire's Castle across the lawn) Fujifilm X-H2 with Fuji 18-120/4 lens and a polarizing filter. ISO 125 1/20sec f/8.

One of the famous stops in North Chagrin Metropark in Willoughby Hills. Built in the late 1800s by Fergus Squire (with his Standard Oil money), this was supposed to be an outbuilding for a much larger mansion. The mansion was never built, but Squire's Castle (as it came to be known, thanks to the stone architecture) is now a great place to wander through when you're in the park. I went with Gabe Wasylko and Pixel Connection on a photo walk - and a few hardcore photographers on the trip were shooting with a view camera and a film Hasselblad.