The Decorated Season
All the seasons in the Pine Barrens have their special beauty. Winter with its texture filled pallet of muted browns, greens and reds. Spring with multiple shades of green and red as the forest comes alive again. It’s also the start of the wildflower season beginning with the blooming of the rare Swamp Pink that grows deep in the cedar swamps. Summer brings hot, humid days and bugs, but it also brings deep green colors accented by the bright colors of blooming wildflowers and orchids.
Then there is fall. Fall in the New Jersey Pine Barrens is the time of year with misty mornings and the deciduous trees showing off their bold red, yellow and orange leaves. It’s as if the Pines are decorated for some kind of festive holiday. It makes this magical and sometimes challenging place to photograph a bit more magical and as close to a point and shoot landscape as this forest can get. Here is my portfolio of fall colors for 2023.
Early Fall in the Pine Barrens
Some areas will turn before others in the Pines Barrens. One area in the northern section of the Pines showed its best color while other areas still had mostly green leaves on the trees. I photographed another area with early fall colors. See my post about a morning at Whitesbog
Fall In The Beaver Pond by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 70-200mm lens @ 200mm, 1/8 sec @ f/22 ISO 100
Fall Color In The Bogs by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 70-200mm lens @ 200mm, 1/20 sec @ f/22, ISO 400
The Peak Fall Colors in the Pine Barrens.
The peak fall season was relatively short lived this year. Very windy days while the colors were peaking caused many trees to lose their leaves sooner than normal.
Wading River Fall Scene by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 24-105mm lens @ 35mm, 5 sec @ f/18 ISO 100
Fall Textures 2023 No. 1 by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 270mm, 1.6 sec @ f/32, ISO 400
Fall Textures 2023 No. 2 by Richard Lewis – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 343mm, 1/20 sec @ f/22, ISO 400
Fall Trees With Asters by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 300mm, 1/30 sec @ f/22, ISO 400
Dawn Light by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 151mm, 1/6 sec @ f/32, ISO 400
Maples and Conifers by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 300mm, 1.3 sec @ f/32, ISO 200
Oh Those Misty Mornings!
There is nothing like the mixing of fall color and morning mist that can happen frequently in the Pine Barrens.
First Light And Retreating Night by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 324mm, 5 sec @ f/22, ISO 400
Lone Tree Showing Off by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 343mm, 20 sec @ f/22, ISO 400
Golden Hour Gold by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 451mm, .8 sec @ f/32, ISO 100
Early Light And Mist by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 176mm, .3 sec @ f/32, ISO 200
Fall From Above the Pine Barrens
I only managed to get one drone flight in during the peak of the fall color season. Areas where I can legally fly are limited and fortunately this one was quite beautiful.
A Path Through The Fall by Richard Lewis 2023 – Autel EVO Lite+, 30mm (equivalent) Lens, 1/25 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100
A Storm Approaches by Richard Lewis 2023- Autel EVO Lite+, 30mm (equivalent) Lens, 1/80 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100
Late Fall
The peak fall colors may have been short lived this year, but the color did linger on late into the fall.
Early Morning In The Franklin Parker Preserve by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 24-105mm @ 45mm, 1.3 sec @ f/16, ISO 100
Breaking Dawn by Richard Lewis 2023- Canon R5, 24-105mm @ 79mm, 10 sec @ f/16, ISO 400
Foggy Fall Morning by Richard Lewis 2023 – – Canon R5, 24-105mm @ 85mm, 1/4 sec @ f/16, ISO 100
Fall In The Ghost Forest by Richard Lewis 2023 – – Canon R5, 70-200mm @ 200mm, .5 sec @ f/32, ISO 400
Fall Morning Sunrise by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 176mm, 1 sec @ f/36, ISO 100
Lost Splendor by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 186mm, 1 sec @ f/32, ISO 400
Fall’s Last Stand by Richard Lewis 2023 – Canon R5, 100-500mm lens @ 300mm, .3 sec @ f/40, ISO 100
Usually when photographing the Pine Barrens my pack has 2 lenses, a 24-105mm and a 70-200mm. This year, I sometimes substituted a 100-500mm lens for the 70-200mm in order to isolate some individual trees or intimate scenes. Switching your usual lenses for something less used can be a way of looking at a place you have photographed before in a different way. I have to thank my friend and fellow photographer Rafal Goraczniak for the inspiration to go even longer with a telephoto lens.
I hope you enjoyed this journey through an amazing season in the New Jersey Pine Barrens when the pine and cedar trees take a back seat to the deciduous trees that they share the forest with.
Enjoy!
Thanks Richard, for sharing these beautiful photos of Fall in the Pine Barrens. Very inspiring work !
It’s my pleasure to share these Mark. I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
Wonderful as always!!
Thank you Bonnie!
Beautiful shots!
Thank you!
Thanks, Rich for sharing your wonderful images!
Thank you for commenting Steve. Hope all is well.
Rich, your photos show that every corner of the Pine Barrens has something to offer, especially in the fall. They inspire us to get up early, put on waders, and see it ourselves. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks Rafal. The fall is definitely a time when the Pine Barrens has put on its best. This year was a particularly good one for that. I’m glad you have put your waders on and wandered out there to capture the beauty of this place in your own unique way.
Rich, you continue to inspire, in capturing the Pines we love, so magically! As you said in your narrative, each season brings its own special distinctions and Fall colors are the reigning glory to it all! Thank you for sharing your love with us! Thanks also for your technical settings used in capturing these awesome scenes!
It’s my pleasure to share the Pines and what ever skills I have. Thanks, as always, for your supportive comments on my work.