It finally began to feel like autumn these past few weeks in New Jersey. I had a few pumpkin beers, ate some apples, started following football (for four days) -- most importantly, though, I managed to get some neat long exposures at Merrill Creek Reservoir, just near the border with Pennsylvania.

A former coworker of mine recommended this place a few years back, and it's a treat whenever I get to go. Surrounding the large water preserve is a diverse 5.5 mile hike, in which you'll wander through swampy lowlands, pine forest, and over dams. It's not the dirtiest of hikes, nor by far the most challenging, but your joints will make themselves known the next day -- the relentless tiny inclines take their toll, for me at least!

For those curious readers, I currently use a set of Lee Seven5 neutral-density filters with my Fujifilm X100s. The single focal length (inability to zoom the lens) can be tricky at first, but it's just a matter of wading through a bit of mud, dead wood, and tiptoeing around the occasional monster spider on the rocks.

Autumn is still in its prime, so I hope to get outside for some more long-exposure practice before everything goes stark and frozen. Not that winter is without its charms...