Everyone has their favorite place for experiencing autumn. Few in North America rival the fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountains of the Appalachians which to many is an annual destination for pilgrimage. Deep in the heart of the Tennessee forest near Cades Cove where Colors of the Smokies was taken, Thomas D. Mangelsen felt as if the canopy of maples, oak and tulip poplar trees were set aglow with some great pulse of electric energy.
The scene presented itself to Mangelsen following a brief shower with humidity in the air and leaves glistening. “Many of my photographs are a product of days, weeks, months, sometimes years of contemplation,” Mangelsen explains. “But with Colors of the Smokies I literally bailed out of my car, ran across a pasture and had 30 seconds to shoot four or five frames before the light disappeared. It was there and gone in no more than three minutes. Funny how it is sometimes. Being there resulted in creating one of the most popular images I’ve ever made.”
"The profusion of the fall palette is always a time of being called home to nature, that no matter where you are in your life, there is a warming sense of nostalgia during late afternoons before the sunset comes. You walk to the edge of the forest, you allow yourself to soak in that good vibe and there is a never-ending impression that you belong there.”
The scene presented itself to Mangelsen following a brief shower with humidity in the air and leaves glistening. “Many of my photographs are a product of days, weeks, months, sometimes years of contemplation,” Mangelsen explains. “But with Colors of the Smokies I literally bailed out of my car, ran across a pasture and had 30 seconds to shoot four or five frames before the light disappeared. It was there and gone in no more than three minutes. Funny how it is sometimes. Being there resulted in creating one of the most popular images I’ve ever made.”
"The profusion of the fall palette is always a time of being called home to nature, that no matter where you are in your life, there is a warming sense of nostalgia during late afternoons before the sunset comes. You walk to the edge of the forest, you allow yourself to soak in that good vibe and there is a never-ending impression that you belong there.”
