This image was made over a lunch hour with one of my co-workers, Josh. An avid bicyclist, Josh discovers many hidden treasures in the area and as an avid photographer at the beginning of his journey, he has a keen eye for spotting places that are rich with photographic opportunity.

The autumn of 2014 brought out colors that had been dormant for several previous years. It was probably the combination of cold nights, sunshine and rain-mixed days that created stunning fall color.

We took photos at the somewhat hidden Rockford Arboretum in a steady rain. The rain, of course, brought out these deep, richly saturated colors. In particular, I was happy with the placement of the black oak trunk in the center of the frame adding an anchor to the chaos of the orange, yellow, red and green foliage.

Canon EOS 5D, Canon 100-400mm f/4.5/5.6L IS @ 135mm, 1/13 sec @f/13, ISO equiv 200, Calumet 8000 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Gitzo G1276 Ballhead