Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Its August. Fall is here. Most people don’t know.

Fall is my favorite season. Hands down. Without question. September specifically is the best month to live in Washington. Typically about the last week of August, I wake up and the light coming in my window is *JUST* slightly different. The blue of the sky has changed. The way the sun filters through the atmosphere is subtly different. Its one of those things that you keep to yourself thinking that you’re the only one who’s noticed. Stepping outside, despite that fact that its still a ‘Summer’ morning, I notice that the air smells a little different. Overnight the air has found a hint of the smell of leaves…leaves that have yet to fall from their branches. Gone are thoughts of afternoons at the lake or the 4th of July or barbecues on warm summer evenings with friends…

I’m wrapped in my own thoughts of back to school, even now years away from late august water polo practices and pre reading for AP classes...coaching the swim team and the return to campus and college football. I also think of chilled top down drives through the mountains with the leaves turning; and just the right song on the radio…perhaps on repeat.

Highway 410 - Washington - Chinook Pass 2

Many of us think of the end of summer and view it as the end. Its really the beginning though isn’t it? Especially here in the northwest. It’s the beginning of our cycle of seasons, the long winter…I’m not one to moan about Seattle weather, it’s just the way it is here and I love it. I love it because it makes September the best month. It makes September worth loving. It forces you to stop and appreciate it before its gone again. You could say September is a final celebration in many ways.

Fallen

I’m excited for it. Fall last year was epic. I suspect we’ll have a short fall this year so I’m going to enjoy it. It’s the only time of year where the light is the way it is, and as a photographer, light is everything. The light along with all the other thoughts of fall make it an awesome time to get out and shoot. Portraits especially. The season of weddings is winding down and fall rings of family. Portraits of family and friends in the dying glow of a Sunday afternoon in September only happens a few times a year. Be there and capture it with the people that matter most to you. Put off that back log of post work you need to be doing…you’ve got 6 months exactly like November to get caught up on that.

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2 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading this post. You encouraged me to appreciate and actually look forward to the upcoming month of September. I stopped for a moment, listened to the train passing by, looked at a fresh bouquet of flowers, and took in a clean long breath of air. Thanks for writing and inspiring with both photos and words. ~Denisse (I'm not computer savy thus selecting a profile was not possible and anonymous was easy)

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