CHASING THE GOLD... and the red, and the orange...

As a professional smartphone photographer*, the first signs of foliage season mark the beginning of a timed race for me.

And the starting gun has gone off!

In September and October, the lush green Adirondack landscape transitions to the vivid reds, yellows and oranges that beckon visitors who enjoy

I took a photo in Lake Placid last week that showed the very, VERY beginning changes of color on one mountainside. (Typically, there are a few solitary, sometimes weaker trees that change a bit before their neighbors.)

For me, that was the start of the race to capture the whole season on camera. Our office reports the progress of the foliage via photos on our websites, social media and percentage updates to I Love New York for their statewide reports. Once I posted that first foliage picture on Facebook and Twitter, our online fans expect regular updates!

This race is more of a marathon than a sprint, however. Even though I consider it a sort of photographer's race, I hasten to remind folks that even though you've heard the first mentions of changing leaves, don't panic that you'll miss the whole foliage season!

Even when the reports are for "peak foliage" in the High Peaks, that certainly doesn't mean it's over. The fall foliage rolls downhill; the dramatic palette of colors change first at high elevation, then make their way "downhill" to lower elevations - completing the cycle on the Adirondack Coast of Lake Champlain.

I'm fortunate that my commute traverses from the lower to the higher elevations and back, providing a great opportunity to capture the changing color as it slowly creeps all the way down from the High Peaks.

So keep an eye out for our reports this season. And then let's hope that the landscape changes gently from red, yellow, orange and green to a sparkly white - (at least for backcountry pursuits and at Whiteface mountain)!

HANDY LINK: SCENIC DRIVING TOURS

*All right, so I'm not really paid specifically for my smartphone photography; it's just part of the package. 

-Kim Rielly is the director of communications for the Lake Placid CVB.