Autumn is often associated with harvest, abundance, maturity and richness, while also being symbolic of old age, decline and life’s impermanence. It represents the beauty and harshness of change. It’s poetic how the death and decay that we witness during autumn are a necessity to preserving life itself.

I stood gazing at this magnificent scene in the early morning sun from a hiking trail above the town of Riquewihr. I could see that in a matter of days all the vine leaves would have inevitably fallen and that these fields would be bare. I realized how lucky I am to have made it here at the right time of year and under the right conditions, despite all odds.

The scene ahead of me was laid out perfectly: of how life and death must exist together to give life its value and meaning, and that all of us are travelers on a narrow path between life and death. Most of us spend our lives fearing death, whereas if we were more mindful about the finality of it, we’d make the most of each step and each stop on our own paths.

Attributes

Artist: Sanqueira
Edition: 1/1
Collection: An Autumn in Alsace
Year: 2022
Location: Riquewihr, France
Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18 - 135 mm
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter speed: 1/200 s
Focal length: 80 mm.

License: NFT can be used in advertising, private displays and in exhibitions by the NFT holder, as long as artist is credited. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution or derivative works. Artist holds Copyright.