There is an interlude when the languid days of summer blend into the crisp days of fall. The trees still have their leaves and the ground is still green but everything is in a state of quiet change. Autumn was when National Geographic photographer Michael Melford took a picture of a fiery orange maple tree 40 years ago and decided to become a photographer, and remains his favorite time of year to shoot. (Learn more about equinoxes.)

He travels light when heading into the woods—two camera bodies, three lenses, and a tripod. “I like the rule of not having a preconceived idea,” he says, “but to go out empty and let whatever happens fill me up.” Melford’s stunning images of