Beauty shots

Pictured: Stevens Pass Road at Leavenworth on U.S. Highway 2.

While you’re out enjoying natural autumn beauty, target and capture vivid images of fall foliage in city parks and gardens, the mountains and countryside!

By Kaweka Stoney

Fall is the season of change, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. Washington may be known as the Evergreen State, but each autumn bring shades of fiery red, vibrant yellow and deep, rich gold.

Fall color in the state of Washington typically begins in midSeptember and peaks in mid-October — color conditions can change daily. The display varies from year to year, the color and duration dependent upon the weather conditions.

With the many varieties of trees and foliage, the leaves change certain colors as the days become shorter and cooler. The vine maple, which often lines Northwest hiking trails, turns to hues of yellow, orange and red. The larch and aspen leaves contribute shades of yellow and gold to the fall palette. Because these trees are often intermingled with evergreens, the fall foliage display in the Northwest is rich and varied.

Location, location, location

Whether it’s a day trip or a weekend destination, there are plenty of locations around the Pacific Northwest to see the fall foliage — many right around the Seattle area. The Bellevue Botanical Garden is located in Bellevue, with 53 acres of display gardens, meadows, wetlands and woodlands. The garden is open dawn to dusk and admission is free. A hidden gem in Seattle is Kubota Gardens, open year-round and free to the public. You’ll love the compositions of Japanese maples among the fish ponds and waterfalls in the garden.

Leavenworth is an amazing place to visit during autumn as a drive along scenic Highway 2 or Highway 97 — the roadside hills will be loaded with vibrant fall colors. For the more active photographer, the spectacular mountain scenery and yellow Alpine larch trees of the Alpine Lake wilderness area will reward any hiker who tackles the rugged trails outside of Leavenworth. Located just east of the Cascades is the Methow River Valley, where yellow aspen and cottonwood trees line the river and streams.

The drive from Bellingham to Artist Point along the Mount Baker Scenic Byway (the only road to Mount Baker) will take your breath away. Fall is a stunning time to visit Mount Rainier — the crowds and bugs aren’t as plentiful and the landscape never disappoints.

Tips for capturing the essence of autumn

Capturing images of fall foliage is only limited to your imagination. Here are some tips that might help you along: • Backlight the foliage for colors that pop. Since the red, orange and yellow leaves of autumn are translucent and light passes through them when backlit, the result is often an explosion of luminance and color. • Use longer focal-length lenses to isolate color, patterns, shapes, textures and areas of intense autumn color. When using longer lenses, utilize a tripod and cable release — these lenses are more prone to picking up slight vibrations caused by wind. • Try using larger apertures to create images with shallow depth of field. Images with a shallow depth of field or soft focus can also help create an aesthetic or mood that is more contemplative. • Taking images after a rain will help make the colors more vibrant. • Using a polarizer will allow you to control glare and reflections, making colors more vibrant. If saturated colors are what you are after, a polarizer is what you need. • Look for color contrast — a patch of yellow trees in a sea of evergreens, a single red leaf on a mossy log, or even a green tree in a batch of red ones.

Even beginners can take amazing fall photos while out enjoying fall foliage, so plan your outing now while the color is at its peak!

Pictured: American Lake at American Lake Conference Center, Lewis North.

Enjoy October events with friends

Parent Central Services is at 2295 S. 12th St., Lewis Main; call 253-966-2977 for an appointment.

Family Child Care is at 2013B N. 3rd St. (at Pendleton Avenue), Lewis Main; 253-967-3039.

Hillside Youth Center/Teen Zone is at 6397 Garcia Blvd., Lewis Main; 253-967-4441.

Youth Sports is at 6398 Garcia Blvd., Lewis Main; 253-967-2405.

JBLMcys

JBLMcys Join October-themed Super Saturdays

MST youth are invited to Hillside Youth Center/Teen Zone for Super Saturday Fall Fun for MST members in 6th–12th grades.

Saturday, Oct. 10, 1–6 p.m., come to party and get face paintings, temporary tattoos, hair chalk and string extensions, plus cookies and hot chocolate. We’ll also have other fun activities for you to enjoy!

MST youth can join us Saturday, Oct. 24 for an Escape the Room challenge with ghostly trivia, mystery boxes and a lot of tricks and treats from 1–6 p.m. Be ready to stay sharp and work together to figure out the secret to escaping first and winning!

If you aren’t yet a member of Hillside, it’s free to join! The center is open to JBLM middle school and high school youth who are registered with CYS.

Visit JBLMmwr.com/programs/mst for information on how to register. Fill out an application and send it to Hillside Youth Center/Teen Zone. We do all the paperwork, including verifying with parents for permission, to get you registered!

Hillside is located at 6397 Garcia Blvd. at Lewis Main. Call us at 253-967-4441 for more information.

Events are subject to change or cancellation.