Back at the beginning of October I went scouting in the New Forest for new scenes. I found a fabulous area of mixed deciduous woods, primarily of oak, beech and maple. Much of the New Forest is self protecting so autumn colours arrive later than in more exposed areas. The image I first shot was, even at the beginning of October, in full green finery with only some bracken giving the game away. I normally find too much green overwhelming, especially in late summer where it become a mono block, but I really like this view. A little backlighting helps to accentuate a few of the trees and branches.
Light, colour, texture, form - all the ingredients.
I returned three more times, initially with just first tinges, then the beech in full colour and finally the oak in its Autumn glory. I do not yet have a favourite, but do like the different emphases as the different trees turn. The widest image was when the beech were in colour and I needed more of these leaves to show. The sun was also in a good place to give another focal zone.
The maples and beech starting to turn.
Autumn drama with the beech in peak colour.
Beech fallen, oak golden.
Now all that remains is to capture the other seasons. I am not convinced this area will get any meaningful snow falls - again due to its self protection. I feel late May could be a good time; the oaks will need to be out and their leaves arrive later than the beech. Until then I have other Autumn shoots to edit; this has probably been my busiest Autumn ever - more trees obviously plus a couple of shoots of deer.