Fall Color season is upon us, who knows what this season will bring as far as the variety and intensity of color we will see this year. I have read some reports that the colors this year may be less vibrant due to a lower than normal rainfall this summer. These reports often have to be taken with a grain of salt because they are generalized, and what may apply to one area may be the complete opposite for the next. I have basically quit worrying about what the color will be like, because there will be some, no matter what the previous season was like. And who knows what other surprises the weather may have for us?

This image was shot last fall in the Smokey Mountains. I went down the last week in October, when supposedly fall colors are peaking there. Well, last year, fall colors peaked about 2 weeks later than normal time. There was some color to be found, but no where near the abundance near peak times. However, during this time, due to a front created by Hurricane Wilma at the time – a surprise snow storm happened in the upper elevations of the mountains. It closed the central road through Great Smoky Mountains National Park down for the better part of a day. So my immediate reaction was disappointment, because I might not be able to reach some of the more scenic overlooks of the park. Who knew a Hurricane was going to cause this during this week?

However, the roads did eventually open as the snow began to melt. Some of the snow covered hillsides made for some beautiful scenery, particularly when contrasted against either snow-free pines or what little color had started. In the end, I made off with some images I was happy with, despite the pre-peak of fall colors which was the main purpose for the trip. When the colors did peak, who knows if another snow fall would hit at the right time allowing for similar or better images?

These situations seem to come up from time to time – like waiting for light at sunrise or sunset, a cloud bank to clear, or an animal to do this or that. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it explodes at the very moment we think about leaving. We can try to place ourselves in the right place at the right time, but a lot about nature remains completely out of our control. Patience and flexibility then become some of a nature photographer’s greatest assets.