junglialoh wrote:
Fine individual image with its own character - great collection, I am most favor on last BW image.
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Craig Gillette wrote:
More beauty. I missed it this year. Thanks for sharing these.
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edwin333 wrote:
Another great set. The Mono Basin and B&W stand out to me.
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Camperjim wrote:
Very nice. I really like the complex shapes of tree trucks and branches. The next to the last image is my favorite.
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Craig Gillette wrote:
TBH, I kind of hope the other 40 million people in California don't take a liking to this.
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Jim Dockery wrote:
Nice set at peak color. The last is my favorite and should also be posted in the B&W forum.
Thanks to all who have visited and commented so far. A few responses follow.
I’m interested in the response to the monochrome image. Interestingly, that one required the most extensive work in post — and the ability to do that in monochrome is one of the things that still attracts me to working in black and white. (I may take Jim up on his recommendation and share it with the BW gang, too.)
The “Mono Basin” photograph is part of a thread in my fall photography that has grown after photographing on the east side of the Sierra during autumn for several decades. While I love returning to the old familiar places (I don’t go _just_ for the photography!) eventually I became less interested in some of the old standbys and wanted to find new things. It turns out that the fall color show is not limited to the eastern slope of the range, and there’s a lot of interesting stuff out where the basin and range country begins.
Those “complex shapes” of aspens eventually became as or more important than their colors to me. The colors are, of course, striking — but they are everywhere and looking for the most interesting compositions that include those colors is a bigger challenge. At first, every grove seems like an automatic subject just because it is colorful. But over time I got more into looking for particular tree shapes and the combinations of white trunks and fall colors.
Craig’s point is always a concern in California and other populated places, and I don’t think that there is a single, clear answer. The number of people heading to the eastern Sierra in fall for the aspen color has increased a lot over the past couple of decades. At this point I avoid the area on autumn weekends, since it can become just plain crazy at some of the most well-known locations. But, speaking more broadly, this is a challenge with many subjects in this state now: certain seasonal events in Yosemite, some places specially noted for spring wildflower displays, and more.
