I enjoy showing people the extravaganza that is New England in autumn - especially first-timers. They nearly always run out of superlatives to describe the spectacle. Each new scene seems - impossibly - even better than what came before. It truly is a sight to behold, especially in New Hampshire's north country: in my opinion, the place to see and photograph "the show."

If you haven't experienced early October in New England, put it on your bucket list. Trust me: I'm not overselling. It's something you'll never forget.

I had the pleasure of introducing my father to leaf peeping in the White Mountains. Though he'd traveled extensively during the course of his career, he was mostly unfamiliar with Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. A trained landscape architect who deeply appreciated nature, those stunning autumnal scenes made quite an impression. He ran out of superlatives, too.

Naturally, I could relate. I still react in much the same way - no matter how many times I see that amazing display.

Particularly if you're into red foliage like me, you'll find quite a bit of eye candy waiting to be admired. In some areas, especially when it's a "bumper crop" season as far as color is concerned, there are ravishing reds that will knock you over. The location in the photograph featured here is one such place.

The colors were especially vibrant that year, and even more so on this overcast, misty day. There's nothing like dampness to accentuate foliage. The combination of shoreline color and descending fog was spectacular. Whether or not I could capture it was questionable; the ceiling was dropping rapidly and I was losing light. I scrambled to find a suitable vantage point and frame a composition. There was zero time to mess with the tripod.

This was back in the Ektachrome days; I wouldn't know until the transparencies came back from the lab whether or not I got anything. Happily, it worked out.

One of my early foliage season images, this remains a personal favorite. The icing on the cake is that my dad was with me when I made it.

If you're a fan of colorful autumnal displays, there's no more magical place to be than New England. Treat yourself. It's not too soon to plan for early October 2022...