A nice selection ! Must have been a lovely walk.
The leaf ring is very good. Reminds me of something the artist Andy Goldsworthy would make; painstakingly making a delicate work of art with natural things, then a quick photo of the result, before the wind blows it all away again.
There is more to autumn than the colors produced by leaves in their dying phase. That process also leads to unique forms and textures. It also leads to not just vibrant yellows and oranges and reds against a darker muted background which is much different that the mid summer green agains such a background. Ansel Adams was a master of separating these different colors through contrast. He was a master at pre visualizing the effects of color filters on the scene and separating the colors using form and contrast by the use of filters.
For example the bright yellows, oranges and reds coveted in fall colors shots - Adams would turn into a glowing shimmering contrasting highlight by separating the colors in tonality using filters. Minor White shared this same approach. In fact Minor White would often use IR film to lighten the foliage in his B&W shots.
These are really good. I like the first one best. A great mix of stones and rocks and all sorts of colourful organic stuff in the foreground all composed with interesting lines and textures here. And, of course, the arch as the centerpiece further back.
This week's landscape thread has just started today, maybe you have something good to post there as well :-)
@tprevatt ...
On today's hike I tried to make a shot something along the lines of your first link. Showing Autumn in B&W.
Using the higher contrast of the yellow autumn leaves against the darker background to make the leaves on the foreground tree glow.
I'll process this again on my PC when I get back home, but here is the first result, what do you think?
Thanks tprevatt
Now I've returned home and had a chance to work on my B&W Autumn image on my PC, here is the result.
The background is a bit brighter, and the leaves glow a bit more. Hope you like it.