Fall Finale on the Lake

Created by Daly Photography

October 2021

Location: Sudbury, MA

In October 2021, my wife Nahla and I traveled to the east coast by way of Boston for a Fall colors trip and to see our family. We spent several days in Boston seeing all of the historical sites that started the founding of our country.

Of course we had to try the lobster rolls and have our own taste test to determine which cannoli reigned supreme between Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry.

Trying to estimate peak Fall colors and the best week to see them whilst planning your vacation a year in advance is hardly an exact science. Like throwing darts in a darkened pub you just hope to get on the board. You can make adjustments from there.

While Boston had crisp air, the leaves were still mostly green. We knew we had to travel north to cooler temperatures to see the change in colors we were looking for.

We rented a car and traveled to New Hampshire and started to see the change. Greens turned to yellow turned to orange turned to red. Over the next several days of our travels throughout the region the colors just seemed to come alive overnight.

The timing was just right to come back down south to Sudbury, Massachusetts. We had booked a room at the historical Longfellow’s Wayside Inn for a couple nights before we wrapped up our trip.

Fall was now in full gear at this historical Inn once visited by George Washington.

A short walk from this beautiful location was a tree-lined lake/pond.

Blue skies and a beautiful reflection from the vibrantly colored trees brought crowds to this location.

I wanted to capture this moment in the most intimate and private way possible.

As I often do- I go where other people aren’t.

To accomplish the photograph I was looking for, I walked away from the crowds through a wooded area. As I reached the shoreline of the lake, I saw a large rock. This elevation would give me the angle I needed to capture the reflection of the trees in the still water.

The only problem was that tree branches partially blocked the view. I would need to hold these branches back with my left arm while shooting with my right hand while simultaneously balancing myself on the rock.

In order to do this I had balance the three components that factor into the perfect exposure: Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO (sensor sensitivity).

I would need a faster shutter speed than if I was shooting with two hands. I usually limit my ISO to 400 or less to reduce noise (graininess). Aperture will give me the depth of field I’m looking for.

I usually shoot in manual mode so to me the biggest variable was the shake of the camera.

The settings for this photograph are as follows:

Shutter speed: 1/100 sec

Aperture: f-14

ISO: 400