Every year in the fall I take a day out of my normal routine to do photography in the mountains.  Timing this annual event is tricky — I want to avoid crowds, I want there to be some color in the leaves, and I want to have some interesting (and conducive) weather.  While timing is important, luck plays an overwhelming hand.  Last year, I went a little too early and I experienced wind and hail; I still enjoyed some good results, but wanted to improve on that.  This year, I went 9 days later (which can make a lot of difference in the color of the leaves) and encountered a little snow; I was very fortunate to find excellent conditions — I don’t think I could have timed it better.

 

My goals for this year’s outing were a bit different.  I wanted to break out of my usual patterns and find and photograph different aspects of the season.  I spent 9 hours crawling on dirt and rocky roads in 4-wheel drive; I was remote enough to be able to stop and park several times in the middle of the one-lane road and not be a nuisance to anyone.  I also found several deep puddles which I plowed through vigorously in order to decorate the car’s bright blue paint job with muted tans.  In the process of acting like a kid and being in a mode where verbal thought processes were almost non-existent, I explored new trails and captured many images that excite me.  For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of these images in a series I’m calling “Fresh Perspectives on Fall”.  My goal is to share with you a few of my new ways of seeing this season.

 

 

Fall is a transition from summer into winter.  Many times the greens of summer fade into yellows, oranges, reds, and browns before we get to see the white of winter.  During this past week, I was fortunate to be photographing right after a brief snow storm early in the fall, and witness the overlap of summer and winter.  In this image, we see the vibrant greens of summer aspens intermingled with the subdued forest evergreens, accented with a white dusting of winter’s powdered sugar — a delightful contrast.