Husband-and-wife photographers Tony Pratt and Pamela Aquilani discover the beauty and serenity of New England during fall foliage season
Written by Tony Pratt
I grew up in New England from the 1950s-1970s before moving to Delaware. A vital part of New England living is reveling in the blazing hillside colors that brisk autumn air brings to the maple trees dominating towns, valleys and mountains there. Not a year went by that my family didn’t load up the station wagon, brought along donuts and drinks, and drove backroads of, primarily, New Hampshire and Vermont. Last fall, Pam and I had a reason to be in the Boston area over the Columbus Day weekend, just at the right time and so close to the wonders of fall foliage peak in mid Vermont, that we just had to go.
We booked a room in the Killington Mountain Lodge having calculated a few months before the trip that the Killington area would be near peak color that week, and we were right. From our home base there for a couple of days, we identified several ‘go to’ sites that are seen yearly in many iconic, well circulated photos. One of our goals, only marginally second to just enjoying being in New England in the peak of fall, was to photograph the rich palette served up by chilly nights, warm days and shortening daylight hours.
VIBRANT HISTORY
New England is well known for its deep-seeded roots to our country’s origins, and history is on display throughout the region, including small towns like Goshen, New Hampshire.
We had done our homework and had identified several extremely photogenic locations but, and this was the most fun of the trip, we sought out backroads especially dirt roads that cross over peaks of remote hills. We love finding out of the way locations so when we saw a dirt road winding through woods and fields we went. There is where we experienced rural Vermont that most never see. Each evening of the trip, we mapped out a few promising roads for the next day with an anticipated daybreak start, so sunrise direction and illumination was critical in our decision making.
This planning exercise was often done, or at least started, in a local restaurant, pub or inn, with a cold beer or two to facilitate envisioning cool places to photograph the next day. Pam and I are both drawn to water in photography landscapes, so we usually looked for rivers, ponds and lakes that lend beauty to our work.
Near our lodge, we visited Kent Pond one morning and Echo Lake the next. I shot photos from my drone for a different perspective, while Pam worked from water level. Successful early morning shoots must be rewarded by a good breakfast, but as we had full days planned and needed to hurry along, we relied on hearty breakfast sandwiches and fresh coffee from the Killington Market and Deli.
“There are so many rewards to back road exploration, and one that stands out to me is that we were very much alone in some very beautiful locations. We disturbed no one and no one disturbed us. ”
With breakfast finished, off we went to explore dirt roads, farms, trees and vistas. There are so many rewards to back road exploration, and one that stands out to me is that we were very much alone in some very beautiful locations. We were able to park, taking up half the road, as not a single car passed us in either direction. We disturbed no one and no one disturbed us. We never had to hurry up composing our photographs and had the luxury of being able to really study a scene for different angles and changing light.
All of this during the week of Columbus Day, in early October, probably the busiest week of the year for ‘leaf peepers’ in Vermont. Some of those well-known spots for photography were overrun with people and cars. We much preferred the quiet and solitude of the road not often taken.
We look forward to going back to Vermont, and other New England states, during fall foliage in the future. We barely scratched the surface of the possibilities. CS