I ran all over Northeast Ohio this week, photographing as much of the fall color as I could before it started to fade. (The colors are fading fast - darn! - but I think I got some good shots while they were at their peak.)
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Squire's Castle
Gabe Wasylko led a Cleveland Photo Walk to Squire's castle. I got stuck in traffic and missed the official walk, but I got a great shot of Squire's castle while I was there.
Ledges Trail in CVNP
The Ledges trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of my favorite fall photo spots - but not for the Ledges Overlook, which is nice, but the "overlook" part of the view doesn't really look out over the valley - the trees are too high. However, the trail that runs around the base of the ledges plateau is a photographer's dream, with lots of amazing cliffs, rocks, and trees clinging to the ledges.
Cascade Overlook in Summit County Metroparks
If you want an overlook in Northeast Ohio, my favorite is the Cascade Overlook in the Cascade Valley Metropark in Akron. It's looking out over an oxbow in the Cuyahoga river, and is an easy walk on a paved trail from the parking lot to the overlook platform.
Brandywine falls
My favorite view in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, no matter the season, is Brandywine Falls. The roaring water fills me up with joy. (And the photo opportunities are everywhere.)
Kendall Lake at sunrise
I'm trying out the Alpenglow app, which tries to forecast if sunrise and sunset are worth photographing. I have alerts set for "great" sunrises and sunsets, and I got my first "great sunrise" alert, so I packed my kit and got ready for an early wakeup the next morning. Now, when I woke up, the app's sunrise forecast was down to "good". But, I was up, so I headed out anyhow. And...the "great" forecast was spot on from the night before. The sky lit up, only for a few minutes, but I was set up when it did and I got some great shots.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
The symbol of CVNP is the Station Road bridge - one of the many bridges that cross the valley. I've wanted a fall photo of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad crossing under the bridge for years, and I finally got myself organized enough to go out and get it. The train left the northern station at 9AM, and I was ready when it passed under the bridge close to 9:30AM
Kirbys Mill
This is another White Whale photo for me - I worked less than a mile from the Richfield Nature Preserve for 29 years, but had no idea the mill was there until I saw some pictures from other Northeast Ohio area photographers. (Shout out to Joseph and Doris Britton - see you guys out on the trail!) I put my own spin on the photo with a Neutral Density filter and 30 second exposure to get the swirling water in the foreground.
How it started, how its going
Unfortunately, this was almost the end of my fall photos. I had my tripod balanced on a mossy rock, and it slid off the rock in slow motion towards the end of one of my 30 second exposures. I saw it starting to go, but was too slow - my camera splashed into the creek lens-first. I grabbed a tripod leg and pulled it out - the lens was submerged, but I grabbed it before the camera body hit the water. I dried everything off as best as I could, but my beloved Sony 20-70/4 lens had water in it, so I sent it off to Sony for servicing, hoping they can fix it. (The camera seemed fine, just a splash, but I put it in a ziploc bag with silica gel packets for a couple of days to dry it out, just in case.)
You can see the exposure that finished right as the tripod went sideways into the creek...
Northeast Ohio Fall Colors Gallery
So, what's your worst camera disaster? Or your best fall photo location in Northeast Ohio? Let me know in the comments below.
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