Autumn Colors of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Every Autumn the landscapes of Nova Scotia, Canada transform into an explosion of color. The deciduous hardwoods burst into different shades of yellow, orange, and red. This makes the already beautiful rolling hills beside the ocean even more surreal than they already are.

It's wild how much these conditions can vary from year to year. I visited Cape Breton in October of 2021 and we hit it just right. Driving along the Cabot Trail (the highway that loops around the island), it was hard to focus on the road because the scenery was so epic. Fast forward to Fall of 2022, when I visited the exact same area, and much of the vibrant colors were already a dull brown. Nova Scotia had been recently hit by hurricane Fiona. Along with its path of destruction, Fiona brought with it salt spray from the ocean, which shrivels the otherwise lively foliage.

I'm glad I've gotten to witness the trees blushing in their full Autumn glory. Below are some of my favorite shots from my brief visits to Nova Scotia.

Franey Lookout

The Franey lookout is one of the most sought after views on the island of Cape Breton and for good reason. It is a 6.1 kilometre out and back trail, with roughly 320 metres of elevation gain, but the views from the top are well worth it. This hike was on both my mom and my bucket list for quite some time and we were fortunate enough to tick it off together in the Fall of 2021. Me being a photographer, I wanted to be at the top for sunrise in hopes of catching some good light in the early hours of the morning. So I convinced my mom to do the hike with me, in the dark, by headlamp. It had been storming all night, with some aggressive winds, so my hopes of the shot I wanted were quickly fading. Nevertheless, we decided to go for it anyways. A couple of hours of walking uphill on a bed of fallen leaves and we made it to the lookout. It was starting to get light out, but the storm was still persisting. I set up my camera on my tripod and lined up the shot I had in mind regardless and snapped a few frames. We were both getting a little cold, sitting and waiting in the wind, so I decided to call it. Just as I went over to pack up my camera gear the sun magically peaked through from between the clouds. It really brought the scene to life casting magnificent light and shadows across the hills, river and ocean in front of us. I will forever be grateful that I was able to experience this beautiful moment with my mom.

Colors of the Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail is an almost 300 kilometre stretch of road which winds up and down the coast of Cape Breton. Aside from the drives through the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, this ranks highly on my list of the nicest stretches of road in Canada. Whether you're doing it by car, bicycle or motorbike, there is something special here for everyone. There are plenty of stops along the way to hike, restaurants where you can grab a lobster roll and viewpoints you can pull up to, where you can simply enjoy the views. Although it is busiest in the Summer months, Autumn is when it is the most beautiful. A lot less crowded and the forests are at their brightest. I would recommend making the trip in middle - late October.

The Little Details

For me, it's not always about the big grandiose landscapes. Although I do enjoy photographing them the most, sometimes it's fun to find the beauty in the simple things. Fresh dew on a leaf on the forest floor or a blade of grass. Patterns in frozen lakes or icicles clinging to a roof. A mushroom, freshly poking up through the moss. There's plenty of beauty to be found in the little details of life.

Close to Home

Four years ago my parents decided to sell the family farm I grew up on in British Columbia and move to the opposite side of the country. They ended up settling on the South East coast of Nova Scotia. It was bittersweet as I have a close relationship with my parents and I wouldn't get to see them as often, but I was stoked for them to find a new place to call home. These two shots were taken on a lake nearby their property. When I visited I would come here everyday to watch the sunset. The dock pictured is positioned perfectly to watch it set over the horizon and you're guaranteed to have the spot all to yourself.

Old Gypsum Mine

The hike to this old gypsum mine, found near Cheticamp, Cape Breton is a super low effort, high reward trail. The quarry stopped production in the late 1930s and has since turned into a popular tourist attraction and local swimming hole. The mine has now filled with water and when viewed from above it has an almost glacial blue color, even though there are no glaciers for 1000s of kilometres. If I didn't know its location and had to guess by just the photo, I could easily mistake this place to be somewhere deep in the landscapes of British Columbia.

The Long Exposure Effect

Often times when using a long exposure effect it's used for things like astro photography or making waterfalls look silky smooth. When you can find a new use case for this effect it can create something unique. Driving past this river I could see a steady stream of foam floating down the surface of the water. An idea popped into my head that I had seen before in a photo and wanted to try. It was early afternoon, so not the best light, but I setup my tripod near the edge of the river anyways. I put on my trusty 10 stop Neutral Density filter to reduce the amount of light entering the camera's sensor, allowing me to slow down the shutter speed. The result is this neat 30 second exposure of the foam being carried downstream. Swirling and dancing as it went, like a multi-lane highway disappearing into the distance.

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