Vermont Fall Foliage - 2025 - Part 2 - On My Own

 "There Are Places I Remember . . ."

(McCartney/Lennon - "In My Life")

(Peacham will always be one of those places)

Peacham, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE FOLLOWING day, Rich had a "reunion" of some old friends which left me to my own devices. I had seen some current images of my long standing favorite Vermont Village and scenic location: Peacham. I have visited Peacham every time I have made a trip to Vermont in the fall. There are so many wonderful image opportunities there, including but certainly not limited to, the iconic shot from the field above the firehouse of the church and barn in the village; a scene often photographed and seen on line regularly these days. I had made that shot a number of times. I thought it couldn't get better. Sneak preview: it did, later in the week. Stay tuned. This time, I headed directly over to East Peacham along Old County Road to re-visit the long view shot of the Peacham Village (a distance of almost exactly 1 mile). I really wanted to work with my new long lens. It was my first opportunity to get the 2x converter out and see how it did. 800mm is really a bit too long for that shot. But 400mm is just not quite enough. I liked the framing at about 600 - 650mm (the shot immediately above).

The Hills of Peacham - Peacham, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

COLOR WAS still quite good there and the morning was mostly clear. I once again realized just what a great scenic location Peacham and vicinity offers for landscape photography. The shooting spot here is on Old County Road and is one of the few clear shots down to the village, and offers other views that are equally pleasing. After I felt I had "worked" this spot and my lens combo enough, I decided that while I was there, I would go check out the iconic village scene from the field above the firehouse. It was the first time I actually realized that the scene posed possibilities for a morning light shot. I had always thought of it as a late afternoon spot.

The Hills of Peacham - Peacham, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

FROM EAST Peacham, I drove back up the Old Cemetery Road, which comes right up into the village, across from the bucholic country store. While I had traveled northeast out of town (toward East Peacham) on it, I don't think I had ever come into Peacham on it. It is uphill into the village, and as you hit the foot of the hill, one of the reasons Peacham is so charming hits you right in the face. I stopped, parked, and set my tripod up in the middle of the gravel road to record the image below; perhaps my most unique shot to date of Peacham.

Peacham Village from Old Cemetery Road - Peacham, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

A PRODUCTIVE morning. Of all my shooting, I sometimes think my best memories are when I am shooting alone. That morning will be one of those memories.

Sutton Baptist Church - Sutton, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

AS I headed back to Rich's place, I took a road that had been recommended over the years by Tim Kirchoff, but never traveled by me: Pudding Hill Road. A nice drive. Really didn't see much to photograph (but it was mid-day "hot light"). I did drive right through the village of Sutton. And right by the Sutton Baptist Church. It caught my eye. Enough to turn around. Maybe a bit of a snapshot, but the white, traditional church set in a grove of foliage; cobalt blue sky. Who could resist at least a "drive-by" shot?

Every time I see one of Carol's images made on Darling Hill, it makes me want to go up there and try again

AFTER GRABBING a sandwich and a quick stop back at the house, I headed up to Burke, and Darling Hill Road, to meet up with Carol and the group of friends from her photography club. In my view, Darling Hill is one of those enigmas that make our craft diverse, and interesting. Every time I see one of Carol's images made on Darling Hill, it makes me want to go up there and try again. But every time I do, I am underwhelmed by own vision. She has a certain "eye," and has spent many hours up there (enough so that she refers to it as her "office"). She has a nice little portfolio of really great images made on Darling Hill. Me? "I left my thrill . . . " you know the rest 😆 I just haven't been able to make it work for me.

Old Shack - Heaven's Bench - Darling Hill Road - Burke, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

THIS WAS another one of those days. Arriving early, I drove the length of Darling Hill Road from East Burke Road up to Burke, and down East Darling Hill Road to East Burke, and back. I didn't see anything that begged me to stop. After parking, and meeting a small group of shooters with Carol, we walked back to an area known as Heaven's Bench, on a hill above the road. In early or very late times, I know the light could make a huge difference in this area. I wanted to see one shot that a friend of theirs had made of an old shack down the bicycle trail near there (aparently just the prior morning). Given the conditions as I saw them at mid-afternoon, I was skeptical. Tucked back against the edge of the tree-line to its immediate east, the shack would have been in deep shadow in the morning. At sunset, if the light didn't disappear beyond the mountains and tree line to the far west too soon, I might have seen some possibilities. It became obvious, though that we wouldn't be there that long, and to me it just wasn't a compelling shot. I made a couple handheld shots in and around the shack. I wasn't impressed. In fact, I remained unimpressed all the way up until I got home, got the image up on screen, and began playing. Digital processing has given us so many tools. My result is no "award-winner." But I was quite surprised at how it came out. A long, but good, day.