When 34-year-old Jesse Estes (www.jesse-estes.com; featured in our December 2009 Software Workshop) learned that trees in Portland’s Japanese Gardens had reached peak fall color, he didn’t let the misty weather deter him. The Troutdale, OR-based systems administrator knew, as Stan Trzoniec explained in October’s Nature column, gray days can be a foliage shooter’s best friend. Estes says, “Wind stirring the leaves can be an issue. But it was perfectly calm, still wet from a storm.” This allowed a 3-sec exposure (at f/14, ISO 200) while keeping sharpness in the leaves. He also got a fresh take on a favorite subject of local photographers. “Most images I’ve seen don’t include much of the upper part of the tree, with its branches snaking around,” Estes says. A Sigma 10–20mm f/4–5.6 lens on his Nikon D300 helped pack all the color in. —Lori Fredrickson. Jesse EstesSHARE
