"Central Park colors," October 2006

Central Park Colors No. 5, originally uploaded by DC Products.

I don't care if it's cliche, overdone, banal or played out -- I'll always set aside a day or two in the fall to head out on a photo expedition to let nature do what I might otherwise do in Photoshop.

In this case, it was an afternoon stroll through Central Park before work. It was about a week -- maybe more -- too early for the peak color in the middle of Manhattan, but I found a few hot spots. I'm planning to drive west through northern New Jersey tomorrow to see what remains, though I fear that the gusting winds on Sunday may have ripped the peak color off the trees. We shall see.

It's seemed like a down year for the autumn leaves this year. The trees seemed to change late and not as uniformily as in past years. But a year ago, I did venture out into the New Jersey Highlands during the first week of November and came away with some decent shots, so hopefully more is in store this year.