Photographing scenes for painting

Fall is just about over – and we've been lucky to have some spectacular colors this year. The photograph above was taken on Palisades Road, just northeast of Calistoga, off the Silverado Trail – a great place to explore with a camera if you haven't yet.

As winter moves in, and the grape leaves brown and fall, you can still get some beautiful shots with stormy, cloudy skies – interesting, moody photographs that could be good inspiration for your work. And before long, mustard will be blooming between the winter vines.

I always take a stepladder with me when photographing – a small, two step, metal one with a handle on top that makes me feel slightly safer when standing on the top step. It's small enough to carry in the car, and tall enough to give me a little height when taking photographs. That extra height is especially helpful when I want to get above the vines just enough to show something of the sea of color that they can be....