Picture of the day - October 14, 2008

Fall in the Methow Valley

Photo courtesy of Winston Rockwell. Master photographer Winston Rockwell is one of our most active contributors, and lucky for us he has been out and about taking pictures of the autumn landscape in the beautiful state of Washington. As usual he has captured a real wall-hanger in today's picture. The following is his story behind the image: "The Methow Valley, on the eastern slope of the rugged North Cascade mountains of Washington, is one of the prettiest areas in the state. It's very rural, dotted with small farms, and the only two towns in the valley hold fewer than 1500 people between them. Deer abound, and apple orchards share the landscape with aspen, birch and lodgepole pine. I had occasion to pass through this valley recently, and though it was late in the day, and the light had mostly gone, when I saw this scene, I had to stop and take a photograph. The fall colors, with the road leading into the trees, made for one of those images that makes you want to put aside the worries of everyday life and simply go for a walk, to follow that road and see where it leads, listening to the crunch of your boots on the gravel, soaking in the fresh air and the scents of autumn. One thing is certain - I will be going back to the Methow Valley again, when there's more daylight left to enjoy the stunning scenery there! This image was shot with a Canon 40D and Tamron 17-35mm lens at 17mm. Nominal exposure was 1/3.3 seconds at f/13, with exposures bracketed +/- 1 stop either way. The three exposures were then blended in Photomatix Pro, to bring out colors in the shadows and balance the darker foreground with the bright sky."    --Winston Rockwell   Visitor Comments... Name: Ron Trees Town: Spokane, WA I really like Mr. Rockwell’s POTD today. Beautiful colors!! It makes me wish I had the opportunity to drive along that road also.   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"