How can I show the beauty of the autumn foliage? As I was pondering that question, I glanced down into the waters of a small pond at my local marshland park and found my answer.
The combination of the light, the reflections, and the ripples enveloped me in an impressionist world, where the forms were blurred, but recognizable. I love the art of Monet, and somehow the autumn reflections brought his works to mind.
As i moved about, the scene would change, as different elements were reflected in the water.
I’m often at a loss when trying to photograph landscapes—I am so used to focusing on the details of a subject that I have trouble seeing the big picture. Somehow it seemed easier when I concentrated my attention on the limited expanse of the water in the pond.
Here in Northern Virginia, we usually don’t have the really vivid colors that I remember from my childhood days in New England, but the subdued colors are beautiful nonetheless. I find in these more restrained shades a kind of melancholic reminder that the days are gradually fading into winter.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I am a New Englander as well (southern New Hampshire) and I agree that the fall foliage here is less vibrant than in the northeast. I do, however, like how your photographs draw a comparison to Monet’s work. They paint the region’s autumn in pastel shades and make it appear very peaceful and serene.
I grew up in one of the suburbs of Boston and it seemed like we had lots of maple trees that turned a flaming red. I really like most impressionist painters and really do find a kind of reflection of some of their paintings in my photos. Normally I go for extreme realism and lots of details in my images, so this is a kind of experiment for me with a different style of photography.
That’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing as I was putting a post together. The scenes can seem very impressionistic, and I wonder what Monet or Renoir would have done with them.
I like this very much, Mike, and you are certainly reflecting the feelings of many of us as we contemplate the passing of another autumn. Really beautiful work!
Thanks, Gary. This are not my usual subjects or style, but I felt almost compelled to try to capture the moment.
A lovely photographic expression. It’s amazing how reminiscent these photos are of impressionism, Mike. 🙂
Thanks. Water, color, and light–mix them together and you have an impressionist world. 🙂
BTW, I especially like your third one, with the blue lily pads!
There was light bouncing around, so it was hard to tell what was reflections and which objects were real. The color looks a little fake, but that’s how it came out.
Just beautiful!
Thanks. The lighting was really nice, which helped keep the reflections colorful.
I love these, and the fact that you continued your idea through out your time there, looking for different “fall like” scenes in the water. Really beautiful.
Thanks. It’s not often that I shoot photos like this–I generally shoot macro subjects or birds, but sometimes you see something so beautiful that you have to try to capture it. Once I took one photo of the fall reflections, I couldn’t help but notice that there were all kinds of different types of reflections, depending on the light, the foliage, and the amount of ripples in the water. I took a lot of photos that day.
What lovely photos. I too like Monet and the impressionists and you reflections in water capture the mood perfectly.