Autumn Frosting

Autumn FrostingThe first fall frost decorates wetland plants in Washington Gulch near Crested Butte, Colorado creating a tapestry of warm autumn colors.

The first heavy frost of autumn usually catches us off-guard. The fact that there was enough moisture in the air to create this frosting on a frigid morning signals a change is coming. Autumn is departing, making way for winter, but not quickly.

Our first heavy frost usually occurs after the leaves have fallen and the predominant color of the landscape has become brown. But, not always. On these colorful mornings, I need to grab some coffee and get to work, knowing the frost will quickly disappear once the sun hits my subject. On this particular morning, I made a dash to Washington Gulch knowing that Gothic Mountain and the surrounding hills would provide some good shade well into the morning. Fortunately, there was still some wonderful fall color in the wetland plants and surrounding aspen forest. Most of the aspen trees were still green! It was only September 24th!

I was photographing with one of my favorite photographers, Dick Okell. We weren't talking much but we were shivering a lot. Fortunately, we had sense enough to use our tripods! As per usual, I was trying to create a panorama of the scene and attempting to include a lot more than was necessary to get a nice image. Looking over my shoulder, I checked to see what Dick was composing and quickly realized the error of my ways. A single image was going to make a more-succinct statement and a stronger photograph. I put the panorama gear away and looked for a strong, colorful, composition of a smaller portion of the scene. I found this photo just before the sun showed up to destroy the frost. 

I really love the warm, autumn, tones against the cool tones of the frost. This contrast of colors and tonality creates visual and emotional excitement that is difficult to capture in a photograph. Autumn high in the Colorado Rockies frequently consists of just a few shades of yellow, gold, and orange. The extra dimension of the reds and greens contrasting with the cool, white frost gives me shivers and smiles. I hope "Autumn Frosting" does the same for you.

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