About one month ago I decided to park at the back entrance of a well-traveled Minnesota state park. Having hurried past the tiny lot in the past, I never had the time to check it out. After a short hike up a dirt trail, I found myself in an upland prairie surrounded by a sea of sumac trees. This early successional species is among the first to change pigments in fall, so I became excited with the prospect of documenting our seasonal shift from this locale. Since my first visit in early August, I've photographed this sumac forest weekly and will use these images to chronicle the transition from Summer to Fall.

Late Summer Sumac in ColorCanon 6D + Canon 17-40mm L — Late Summer Sumac in Color
Canon 6D + Canon 17-40mm L

About the Images: The top photograph is a black and white conversion of the colored image pictured directly above. While I love the intense greens and reds of the color image, the black and white picture illustrates the turbulent weather that is typical of a Minnesota summer. While the clouds are visible in the color picture, the tonal range from the foreground to background made it nearly impossible to reveal the depth and complexity of the stormy sky. By converting the raw file to black and white, I was able to selectively adjust the contrast in the sky while holding back any trace of digital noise. While I am not sure I could choose a favorite between the pair, I do like the way the differentiated processing produced distinctly different images that suggest a uniquely different mood.