Autumn does not arrive all at once. It loosens summer slowly, one cool morning at a time.

The first signs are small. A hedge loses its shine. Grass holds dew longer. The air begins to smell of damp bark, leaf mould and woodsmoke. By late afternoon, the light falls lower and thinner, revealing details that summer hides under its green abundance. A field gate looks older. A beech trunk shows scars. A path through the woods becomes a study in shadow.

This is the season when nature becomes less decorative and more honest. Colour gets much of the attention, with its rusts, ochres and deep reds, but autumn also has a quiet structure. It is a season of grain, edge, line and contrast. That makes it a beautiful time to photograph in black and white, especially with a camera as deliberate as the Leica M10.

To photograph autumn well is to notice its fading without rushing it. The work is not only technical. It is a way of paying attention while the year changes its mind