On a couple of occasions during the chronology of my trip to New England I’ve mentioned that I had some assistance in trip planning and photo location advice, particularly as it pertains to my time in Vermont, so I want to take a moment to give credit to those who deserve it.
My friend Andy Richards–also my Photographing Michigan’s Upper Peninsula ebook co-author–published a photo guide to Vermont in the fall of 2011 entitled Photographing Vermont’s Fall Foliage. I purchased this ebook a few months before I hit the road for New England and it served as my template for my time in Vermont. While the book ostensibly covers the entire state, I confined my explorations to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom (the northeast quadrant of the state) and a bit of time in the northwest quadrant. Many of the locations I visited I first learned about in Andy’s guide and it was a valuable resource for planning locations, time of visitation and recognizing best conditions.

Lake Willoughby in Fog, Orleans County, Vermont
Andy also referred me to the invaluable Scenes of Vermont forum. There are some folks who post on this forum who have spectacularly detailed knowledge about Vermont locations and they’re very willing to share their insights with others. I received some detailed suggestions for specific locations to visit and drives to serve as the source for regional exploration from forum members that was truly invaluable. If you’re planning a trip to Vermont–be it a photo trip or something more of a traditional sightseeing venture–you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice by not visiting the forum first and making some inquiries. The denizens there are knowledgeable, friendly and incredibly helpful.

Ricker Pond, Groton State Forest, Vermont
Tying things together, Andy gave me a personal introduction to Carol Smith, one of the most active members of the Scenes of Vermont Forum (and a moderator there). In addition to having decades of on-the-ground experience in Vermont, Carol is a terrific photographer in her own right (seriously–check out her blog and website), so I was thrilled when she invited me to join her for a day during the time that I was based in Vermont. (That day will be featured in my next post.) During my time with Carol, she was gracious enough to show me quite a few new locations, many of which I probably never would have found on my own.

Long Pond, Orelans County, Vermont
I’ve always said, the guidance of someone familiar with a particular area is invaluable to the landscape photographer new to that locale. During my time in Vermont, I was lucky enough to have the copious assistance of a wide number of knowledgeable and helpful individuals–Andy, Carol and other members of the Scenes of Vermont forum. Much of my success during my time in Vermont is due to their magnanimous efforts, and for that I offer my enduring and heartfelt thanks!

Southern Exposure Caledonia County, Vermont
Footnote: Andy’s Photographing Vermont’s Fall Foliage is already a highly valuable resource to the photographer planning an autumn visit to Vermont. But a second edition, which will be co-authored by Carol Smith, is expected to be released some time in 2017 and, trust me, that is going to be an absolute must-have volume. As I said, the first edition is of tremendous value, but with the addition of all of Carol’s intricate–and intimate–knowledge of Vermont, coupled with Andy’s foundation…let’s just say I can’t wait to see the finished product.

View From Peacham Cemetery, Washington County, Vermont
Thanks for the insight into the planning process. The images are lovely. I particularly like the one from Ricker Pond with the reflected colors.
By: EllenK on January 4, 2017
at 10:10 am
Thanks, Ellen!
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:15 pm
wonderfulp pics! Great colors!
By: ostendnomad on January 4, 2017
at 10:59 am
Thanks!
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:15 pm
Great set!
By: elmdriveimages on January 4, 2017
at 10:59 am
Thanks very much!
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:15 pm
You have some amazing pictures here. The colors in the Ricker Pond look lovely
By: Vibha Ravi on January 4, 2017
at 12:45 pm
Thank you!
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:16 pm
Thanks for the voluminous praise, Kerry. As you know from co-writing the Michigan U.P. book, it is a labor of love, not of economics LOL. I am looking forward to the next installment!
By: LightCentric on January 4, 2017
at 12:50 pm
Thanks, Andy. A labor of love indeed. 🙂
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:16 pm
Thank you for the kind words Kerry, and for the links to my blog and web site. Also, thank you for the kudos you have given to The Scenes Of Vermont Foliage Forum. It truly is an invaluable resource. Speaking of invaluable resources, I echo your comments regarding Andy’s Photographing VT’s Fall Foliage ebook, and I am honored to be co-writing the Volume 2 with him. I’m also thankful to Andy for introducing you and I to each other. I’m so inspired by your work and it was a great experience for me to spend the day shooting with you up in the NEK of VT. Your work ethic is impeccable and it shows. I’m really looking to viewing your upcoming blog posts. I love to see your views of Vermont!
By: Carol Smith on January 4, 2017
at 3:40 pm
Thanks, Carol. You definitely deserve every one of those kind words, and more. I, too, am glad we had the chance to meet (thanks Andy!) and I hope we have the opportunity to photograph together again some time. I’d love to get back to New England at some point. And I’m really looking forward to the second edition of the Vermont ebook!
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:21 pm
AMAZING pics!
By: Imperium Woodcraft on January 4, 2017
at 3:57 pm
Thanks!
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:22 pm
Amazing colour and compositions, Kerry! I have found that reading e-books helped me immensely in finding locales and times as well as word-of -mouth from photog friends who have been there. If I was ever going to Vermont I know where my source of information would come from…yourself. It is a state with such pretty locales and I have wanted to go there since watching “White Christmas.”
By: Jane's Heartsong on January 4, 2017
at 6:11 pm
Thanks very much, Jane. If you ever do go to Vermont, and ask me for information, I’ll direct you to the Scenes of Vermont forum. 🙂 Seriously, there are numerous folks there who have forgotten more about Vermont locations than I’ll ever know.
By: kerryl29 on January 4, 2017
at 8:31 pm
The photos are beautiful, as always, but the resources are especially nice. Whether I’ll ever get to Vermont is uncertain, but I know people who will make that trip, and I’ll pass the information on to them. Thanks so much for providing it.
By: shoreacres on January 4, 2017
at 8:41 pm
Thanks! And I will confidently predict that you won’t regret noting/forwarding the Scenes of Vermont forum information along.
By: kerryl29 on January 5, 2017
at 12:55 am
Fabulous photos and nice that you have such great connections for scouting, Kerry. Happy New Year to you and yours!
By: Jane Lurie on January 4, 2017
at 11:10 pm
Thanks very much, Jane. And a Happy New Year to you!
By: kerryl29 on January 5, 2017
at 12:55 am
I so love your photos!
By: rolandlegge on January 5, 2017
at 11:38 pm
Thanks, Roland!
By: kerryl29 on January 6, 2017
at 9:53 am
Wonderful gallery, Kerry. Some excellent skies in these photos. 🙂
By: Frank King Photos on January 8, 2017
at 6:51 am
Thanks, Frank!
By: kerryl29 on January 8, 2017
at 9:58 am
Beautiful photos as always, Kerry; the Ricker pond image is spectacular and I love the snag coming out from the water.
By: composerinthegarden on January 8, 2017
at 4:46 pm
Thanks, Lynn.
That image was made after dark. It was taken on a mostly cloudy day and the sun–which hadn’t been visible at official sunset–had clearly gone down. It was absolutely still at the time. How still is absolutely still? It was a 10 second exposure and the leaves on the trees are tack sharp. That’s what I call windless. 🙂
By: kerryl29 on January 8, 2017
at 7:25 pm
[…] I mentioned in my last post, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join Carol Smith for some photography on Day 9, but […]
By: New England, Day 9: Exploring Vermont | Lightscapes Nature Photography Blog on January 10, 2017
at 10:01 am
Absolutely stunning impressions, Kerry. What a gorgeous landscape!
By: Dina on January 22, 2017
at 9:01 am
Thanks very much, Dina!
By: kerryl29 on January 22, 2017
at 10:18 am