The Hunt for Fall Color: A Decade of Yankee Foliage Photos

By the time mid-August rolls around, I start to feel a bit of panic set in. Inevitably, on my 10-minute commute from home to the office in Dublin, I pass a few marshy areas that are already vibrating with brilliant reds courtesy of the swamp maples. We are usually wrapping up any late summer assignments, and as I am tasked with handling the photo assignments and research for our print issues, I have my hand in multiple seasons and stories on any given day. I think the challenge is always: How do we make each story feel unique? How do we capture foliage in a classic and hopefully different way year after year? I’ve often thought foliage is our toughest season—the color moves unexpectedly, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. Our foliage forecast from contributor Jim Salge is always a good guide, but rain and wind can knock down the color in an instant. Here’s the truth I’ve discovered: You can always find those pockets of color wherever you are in New England. I think the beauty of foliage lies in the hunt for those perfectly imperfect landscapes—the crisp colors of the season seen in the forests, fields, and farmland.  

I loved getting the chance to look back at foliage photos from the last decade of autumn issues. I credit our incredibly talented contributing photographers for finding the color, whatever autumn brings us, year after year. Some years we worry it will disappoint, and somehow it never does.  

The following photos are my favorites from the past decade, 2015–25, plus one bonus frame for good measure because it was hard to pick just one for each year! The hunt for perfect fall color is really about the journey, and what you see and capture along the way is so unique to how you see and participate in the world. We live in such a beautiful region of the country, and I’m excited to see what our photographers who are about to get out in the field for our 2027 stories will capture for us this year. I hate to admit it, but autumn (with that first chill of the season and those first tinges of color in the trees) is still one of my favorite times of year.  

The Hunt for Fall Color: A Decade of Yankee Foliage Photos

2015: Peacham, Vermont

This came from existing photography (stock, rather than newly commissioned work) for our 80th anniversary issue. Richard Brown has captured a lifetime of iconic Vermont photographs, and you can’t get more classic New England than the rolling hills and farmland of Peacham, Vermont.

2016: Pittsburg, New Hampshire

This was a multi-day assignment that our former art director (and now creative director for our sister publication The Old Farmer’s Almanac) Lori Pedrick spearheaded. Photographer Carl Tremblay followed the Connecticut River from its source in New Hampshire to the sea in Connecticut; seeing a person in the landscape really helps enliven this scene and gives some context to the river setting and why we felt it was important to include in the story. 

2017: Plymouth, Vermont

This assignment was another feature that involved a lot of travel and time to capture a real sense of place during foliage season. Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time, working with changing weather and light, and finding those quiet moments and a bit of color like Sara Gray captured in this misty scene in Vermont.

2018: Camden, Maine

A favorite from former staff photographer Mark Fleming. Camden is definitely one of the most beautiful towns in Maine to my eye, and he captured place and season and perspective beautifully.

2019: Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont

Another timeless classic from Mark Fleming for a multi-day adventure in the northern towns of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine with our executive editor Ian Aldrich. That broader view of place only seen from the air can often be so compelling in terms of capturing what makes a landscape so special and unique.

2020: Colrain, Massachusetts

This was originally captured for our Mohawk Trail (Massachusetts) story a few years before, and I remembered it when we were trying to illustrate another anniversary package—this time our 85th. I’m a sucker for a fun vintage car, especially one surrounded by colorful foliage.

2021: Shelburne, Massachusetts

Sometimes the light just brings the season home. I love the beautiful bokeh of the dancing light in a dewy field captured by photographer Megan Haley at Apex Orchards in Shelburne, Massachusetts.

2022: Acadia National Park, Maine

The color on the coast is always a bit more challenging with so many evergreen pointy pines in the landscape. Tara Rice found the subtle autumn color along the pathway that pulls your eye into this Maine scene. 

2023: Meredith, New Hampshire

The sky really lights up this frame and photographer Michael D. Wilson’s bird’s-eye view is such a nice perspective of this New Hampshire lakeside town. 

2024: Dublin, New Hampshire

It’s so fun when our stories bring us to our own backyard and we get to help bring a photo to life—in this case with one of our favorite photographers, Oliver Parini. I borrowed kayaks from executive editor Ian Aldrich and roped my friend and colleague, The Old Farmer’s Almanac editor Carol Connare, into a very early morning paddle on Dublin Lake just around the corner from our offices in Dublin, New Hampshire. It was very cold and choppy from the wind. We did a few back-and-forth passes and fortunately, Oliver was able to get the shot quickly from the dock of one of the boathouses along the shore.

2025: Brunswick, Maine

Often I’ll research a location to make sure we are not missing some iconic spots or possible visuals that might not be included in the writer’s notes. I’m so happy I added this spot to our final shot list to give us a different visual moment. I love what Michael D. Wilson was able to capture with the light and red color of this Maine bridge. 

Bonus (2025): Stowe, Vermont

Internally, we dubbed these the lollipop trees. The uniform gradation of color on the line of trees in the foreground made this a fun, unexpected bonus from Oliver Panini’s Route 100 exploration in Vermont.

Heather Marcus

Heather Marcus is the senior photo editor for Yankee. She works closely with the art director and contributing photographers to tell our stories about people and place in a compelling way. Living and growing up in New England, she continues to be inspired by the communities, the landscape, and the wonderful visual opportunities the region affords.

More by Heather Marcus