There is always something special going on in the universe during this time of the year. It is an immense time of change from an environmental perspective with the earth shedding its layers from the growth of the spring and summer. It is also a time of change from a personal perspective as a student as well. No matter what year a student is in school, adjusting back into the semester after the initial excitement from the beginning dies down is a major transition. I don’t think we as humans give each other enough credit for how we cope with everything going on. It’s okay and sometimes mandatory to be extra kind to ourselves and sleep another hour, have one more piece of chocolate or sit outside a little longer and ignore the lists we all have sitting on our desks and counters.

One thing I found in the last week that really grounded me and put it all in perspective was going on photography adventures that centered around the beautiful fall leaves. It’s easy to walk the same route everyday and not see the nuances and miracles that are everywhere. I have always loved photography and telling stories through photos, and this week has been so special as I captured hundreds of leaves and fall foliage all over campus.

I started by only doing macro-photography of one leaf, then it evolved into focusing on the contrast with the new snowfall that was stunning. I love love love zooming in and taking hundreds of photos of the same area at subtly different angles and lightening transitions. A leaf is so beautiful by itself; we often forget the beauty of an individual when its crowded by so many on a tree. Same can be said for people too. After two days of macro photography, I zoomed back out and captured one of my favorite scenes from the season on campus.

I just love fall! The air is crisp, scarves are abundant and its time to get cozy. But what’s special about Colorado is that it will snow, but a blue sky day and go from being freezing to short weather all in a day. Contrast. Contrast. Contrast. I love it.

I then started focusing on the idea of turning over a new leaf and how beautiful a bunch of leaves can be all together. I love the water droplets that glisten off leaves after it melts from the snowfall.

Another idea I tried to capture was growth in death and death in growth and the contrast and continuity between the both of them.

I also focused on photographing random leaves at the golden hour, right before the sun disappears. That lighting is as the title suggests, golden. In so many ways! I have hundreds of photos of leaves and am still taking more. It’s too much fun. I hope to start painting on canvas based on the photographs I took. Artistic and creative expression makes me happy and we should always follow our path to happiness. Struggle is important, but also not always needed.

Be happy. Be here. Be you.

We don’t always have the choice of when we fall, but we always have the choice to fly.