Padles In The Mist

Whispers of Autumn: A Cypress Tale

As the first cool breeze of autumn swept across the wetlands, the swamp came alive with the golden and orange hues of fall. The cypress trees, towering and ancient, stood like silent sentinels in the ever-changing landscape of North Florida and South Georgia. Their roots, gnarled and twisted, dipped into the slow-moving waters of the bayous, creating reflections that danced with the light.

For years, the cypress had witnessed the subtle transformations of the swamp—spring’s new life, summer’s intense heat, and now, the quiet arrival of autumn. This was a time when the earth exhaled a deep sigh, and the air smelled of damp soil, pine, and the crispness of fallen leaves. The leaves on the cypress trees began to change, transitioning from deep green to brilliant shades of gold, amber, and fiery orange. They seemed to whisper with every gust of wind, telling tales of the seasons they had seen.

I had always been captivated by the South’s wilderness, but it was the cypress swamps that called me most during autumn. I had heard stories of how the trees had stood for centuries, their roots cradling the very spirit of the land. Eager to capture this moment of transformation, I set off into the swamps, armed with my camera and a heart full of wonder.

The air was thick with mist as I made my way through the water’s edge, where the cypress knees—those small, knobby protrusions that rose like ancient hands reaching for the sky—emerged from the earth, creating a labyrinth of shapes. The stillness was broken only by the sound of a distant heron taking flight and the occasional rustle of leaves.

I found a small boat tucked away along the banks, forgotten by some past traveler, and decided to drift deeper into the swamp. As the boat floated lazily along, the cypress trees loomed over me, their trunks thick with moss and their branches heavy with autumn’s touch. I raised my camera, capturing the way the light filtered through the amber leaves, how the cypress roots seemed to stretch into the water like ancient arms, reaching for something just out of sight.

Each photo I took felt like a moment frozen in time—these cypress trees, this swamp, this fleeting season—would soon be gone. But I knew that the stories of the swamp would live on in every image, every color, and every leaf that fluttered down to rest upon the water's surface.

I knew that this moment, like the cypress trees themselves, would endure—forever a part of the autumn whispers of the South.

Unmounted Fine-Art Prints

Paper print is shipped in a tube. Still, it will have to be mounted to get the gallery look.

Specifications of Metal

Dyes infused directly onto specially coated aluminum ChromaLuxe panels. White high gloss surface with details, vibrance and ultra-hard, scratch resistant surface, that is weatherproofed.  Arrive ready to hang withe French cleat, and it will float 3/4” off the wall.