Crested Butte Cottonwood Colors

Crested Butte Cottonwoood ColorsLate autumn leaves golden Cottonwood trees along Coal Creek as it wanders through Crested Butte, Colorado.

Most of my best photographs for the past 10 years or so have been somewhat planned. Since virtually all of my imaging happens within 30 miles of my home, I have a long history of learning where I need to be and when I need to be there. I have the luxury of only photographing on the very best of days and in the very best weather.

"Crested Butte Cottonwood Colors" was not planned. It was a spontaneous response to an incredible play of light and shadow at the peak of fall color with some helpful horses in just the right place. As I rounded the curve at the cow camp the scene exploded in front of me. We were having our typical fall weather of late-afternoon showers and there was a substantial bank of clouds shading the top of the scene. That shadow really made the backlit trees pop and glow. The horses seemed to be almost in a spotlight and add a wonderful element of life to the scene. I did vignette the bottom and sides a bit to keep your eyes in the scene, a technique I learned from Ansel Adams.

I'm a bit sad that the photograph became so long and skinny. It makes it awkward to print and display. Obviously, I can crop the edges to a more comfortable ratio but I don't like losing all those trees. So, here it is: "Crested Butte Cottonwood Colors". Let me know your thoughts.