Ever since I moved to NYC, I've always said one day I would take the train upstate to go "leaf peeping" during peak autumn foliage. I grew up in the south, in a city famous for its evergreen live oak. Fall was never colorful to me, though I always wished it was. Now that I live so close to the most beautiful autumn in the country, I have to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, peak foliage almost always lines up with midterms season. It took me three years, and a class assignment as an excuse, to make the trip.
Landscape photography feels like returning home. I'm sure I'm not the only person to learn how to use a DSLR camera with landscapes and nature as subjects, only to dramatically shift from that genre immediately after. That's what makes it so strange when we're assigned a landscape project for class. The timing worked out perfectly for me to go upstate and photograph everywhere my feet could take me. I chose Cold Spring on a whim, because it was reasonably close to the city by train and walkable from the station. Even though I had never been, walking around and taking photos felt like second nature. It was a peaceful day, needed amidst a hectic semester. Even if I don't have an assignment, I'll make it a yearly tradition to flex my landscape muscles during a beautiful autumn day away.
swerdlin.photo 