2010 Fall Photo Contest Winner

This blog is a first for me in a couple of ways: I haven’t written for a blog before, and I’ve never entered a photo contest before. That’s mainly because there are so many great photographers out there, and I didn’t think I had any chance of being a finalist, let alone a winner! The quality of the photographs submitted to the “Yankee Magazine Fall Foliage Photo Contest,” especially the finalists’, was outstanding, and I feel privileged to have been included in this group. Although I live in Maryland, I’m enamored of New Hampshire and Vermont and their spectacular natural wonders (particularly during autumn). I’ve been trying to get the perfect fall photograph for the past three years. This shot of Glen Ellis Falls took three trips to the White Mountains area, with each excursion involving a five-hour round-trip drive from Lebanon, New Hampshire. The first session resulted in no photographs at all because the view was obscured by fog! The second session resulted in subpar images because the light was too bright for me to get the long exposure needed to soften the water. I wanted to get that silky look, but just the right amount so that I could still convey the power of the waterfall. I also slipped on the rocks (!) and would undoubtedly have been swept away if I’d fallen into the path of the waterfall. Finally, on the third trip, I managed to get the light I wanted on the beautifully colored fall trees in the background, just before sunset, as well as the silky-soft water. I’d be remiss not to acknowledge and give at least half the credit for this shot to my assistant (and fiancée), without whose patience and interventions this and other photographs wouldn’t be possible. Visit the following site to see more of my photos of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine: photo.net/photos/Tahir