10/25/2026
Every fall, I find myself thinking about my buddy David Patterson.
Dave and I used to go out taking photos together all the time. The funny thing is, Dave wasn't even a photographer by profession. He was a soccer coach. But his passion for photography was probably even bigger than mine. LOL.
We made countless trips to Acadia National Park, often getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning to head down and catch the sunrise. There aren't too many people willing to get out of bed at that hour just to go take pictures. When I found out Dave was one of those people, we became pretty regular photography partners.
Now, I'm a sports photographer. I enjoy landscape photography, and I think I do a pretty decent job at it. I've taken some photos I'm really proud of.
But Dave? Dave was on a whole other level.
We'd go out shooting together, and I'd come home thinking I had some pretty good stuff. Then I'd see what Dave photographed, and I'd be like, "Oh s**t, I don't even want to show anybody my pictures now!" 😂
It wasn't that my photos were bad. It was just that Dave had this incredible ability to see things differently. His compositions, his creativity, the way he looked at light and color. He was just amazing.
I learned a lot from Dave over the years. I can't really say he learned much from me, but maybe he did. We approached photography from two completely different perspectives. Maybe he admired my sports photography as much as I admired his landscapes. I'd like to think that was the case.
Photography was really the foundation of our friendship, and Acadia was one of his favorite places in the world to photograph.
On one of our last photography outings before Dave passed away, he was showing me a technique he had been experimenting with using fall foliage. Instead of trying to capture everything perfectly sharp, he'd intentionally move the camera during the exposure, creating these beautiful abstract images filled with color, movement, and lines.
I remember getting a couple of shots that day that Dave thought were really good.
And I'll tell you what, when Dave Patterson told you that you took a good landscape photo, that meant something! LOL.
There's something else about Acadia that I'll never forget.
**I was actually in Acadia National Park when I got the news that Dave had passed away.**
Of all the places in the world I could have been that day, I was in the very place where we had spent so many mornings together taking photos.
I've thought about that a lot over the years. I don't know if there's any deeper meaning to it, but it's something that has always stuck with me.
Maybe that's part of why I think about Dave so much when I'm out photographing landscapes. Certain places and certain things just have a way of bringing people back into your life, even if only for a few moments.
Every fall since then, I'll be driving around looking at the foliage, and I'll think about Dave and that technique he showed me. I'll see the colors in the trees and think, "I really should pull over and try that again."
But for whatever reason, I never seem to do it.
Well, this year I finally did.
I pulled over, grabbed my camera, and started experimenting.
The interesting thing about this technique is that you really have no idea what you're going to get. Every single exposure is different. The blur changes, the lines change, the colors blend differently. You can take 20 photos of the exact same scene, and every one of them will look completely different.
It's kind of a crapshoot, honestly. LOL.
It can be frustrating because you're trying to create something you can almost picture in your head, but the camera doesn't always cooperate.
But that's also what makes it fun.
This photo is probably my favorite from the ones I took. I love the sweeping lines, the curves, the deep oranges and yellows, and especially those little touches of blue mixed in.
I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.
But more than anything, I'm happy that I finally pulled over and did something that reminded me of my friend.
It's funny how photography can do that. A certain place, a particular light, or even a technique can bring back memories of someone you haven't seen in years.
Dave has been gone for a while now, but every fall, when the leaves start changing, he's still right there in my thoughts.
So here's one for you, buddy.
I hope you're up there somewhere looking at this photo and thinking, "Hey, that's actually pretty damn good!" 😂
Miss you, Dave. And thanks for everything you taught me.
**DP-YNWA** ❤️📸
\ -YNWA
