Fall at Burney

Burney Falls, one of the most majestic sights in California. Last year, I saw photos of Burney in the Fall, and ever since, I had been dreaming of seeing it covered in golden leaves myself. Last year, I came to the area looking for fall color in early October, and I was too early. This year, I came two weeks later, hoping to catch it at a better time. The struggle of photographing fall color is - If I am too late, the leaves will have fallen off the trees, making everything look dead, and if I am too early, everything is still really green. The whole time I was preparing for this trip, I couldn't help feeling nervous that maybe I would be too early.

The plan was to get there early morning, hoping to get soft, golden light shining through the trees. I left my in-law's house at 5am to see if my dream shot would come true. When I arrived, it was still dark out. I made the short hike over to the vantage point and waited for the sun to rise. The typical bustling crowds of Burney Falls were still waking up, and it was just me and the waterfall in the peaceful morning light. All that could be heard was the roar of the water.

In the low amount of light that I could see, it seemed like my fear may have come true. Everything looked mostly green, and it appeared I was a little too early. As the sun continued to rise, I could see there were lots of golden hues along the river above, and there was some in the foreground, but not as much as I had hoped. So the challenge became, "how can I get the fall color along the river above?" The brush at the foreground blocked my view for this angle, so I had to get as high up as I could, and hold my camera as far above my head as possible to shoot over it. 

I left there feeling unsure if I was there at the right time. Like I may have to come back later in the year, which may not be able to happen till the following year. But when I saw them all on my computer, it became clear that It was complete - Lots of gold in the background, just enough in the foreground. My dream shot had come true. I had captured the magic of Burney Falls in the Fall.