This October/November 2022, the Breaking Wind group was at it again with a photo trip to Georgia. The early part of the trip found us in Northern Georgia for waterfalls, mountain scenery, fall color, grist mills, covered bridges and generally a good time. However, the purpose of the trip was to see and photograph the bald cypress and their rust-colored needles in the swamps and marshes of Southeast Georgia.

The bald cypress trees are deciduous conifers that shed their needle-like leaves in the fall. In fact, they get the name 'bald' cypress because they drop their leaves so early in the season. Their fall colors are tan, cinnamon and fiery orange. The bark is brown or gray with a stringy texture. These trees are found in the SE US along the Mississippi Valley, Gulf Coast and mid-Atlantic states.

When we got to our location, we were blessed to have hit the colors at their peak as an earlier cold snap had caused the needle colors to change a couple of weeks earlier, as we were so informed by the local photographers. We primarily shot from the shoreline, but many rented kayaks or brought their own to wander among the cypress trees. One hazard of these locations is the presence of alligators, as Georgia has the 4th largest population after Louisiana, Florida and Texas.

Our lake was a truly amazing place. With almost no wind, the lake became a perfect mirror, creating both vertical and horizontal possibilities, reflecting the leaves' cinnamon and bright orange colors.

Lately, I have found it useful to shoot 3 stimulus frames, one stop apart and use Lightroom to create blended images. This worked well with the north waterfalls and several cypress shots with the sun, creating stronger contrasts. This image was not blended as it is an evening shot just before sunset.