Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 23, 2020, Part 3

I began my late day photography in the Rio Grande National Forest by walking briefly through the forest near my campsite before crossing FSR 380 into the forest on the opposite side of the roadway.

Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 200.

The first image here is a shot down FSR 380, just past my campsite.  It is obvious from this image that there are some Aspens in peak fall color, while many others are just beginning to show signs of changing from green to yellow.

Overhead Loop. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 46mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 2500.

Aspens tend to grow straight and tall, self pruning as they gain height, but some grow in strange ways, such as this one on the right side in the image above, with the loop at top, where it turns sideways.

Forest Seclusion. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 48mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 2500.

Aspen trunks have always fascinated me.  They are usually tall, slender and grayish-white with hints of green and sometimes other colors, with smooth to rough trunks with dark black marks, where limbs have fallen off as the trees matures.

Forest Eyes. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 44mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 200.
Forest Light. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/500s, f/11, ISO 200.

A forest is also a good place to get a starburst effect; but I think the one in the image above is too large and distracting.  A smaller aperture would have given a smaller, sharper starburst.

Leaves and Trunks. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 400.
Signatures. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 800.

I do not know what made the curved traces on the two trees in this image, but they are remarkably like data plots that I interpreted as a part of my work before my retirement.  I posted this image on LinkedIn, where I knew others would see those traces as I did,  and as of this writing it has received 15,275 views, 252 likes and 56 comments.

Under the Canopy. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 800.

The small Aspens in full color beneath the much taller ones were eye-catching.

Under and Over. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 800.
Leaning into Fall. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 60mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 800.
Aspen Sky. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm, 1/500s, f/11, ISO 400.

A skyward view beneath the tall Aspens can be awesome, especially if the Aspens are in full fall color, with the yellow leaves set against a blue sky.  There is a full range of color in the images here, since “peak” color is not yet here.

Skyward. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 200.
Joyful. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/50s, f/11, ISO 320.

Even without the peak color, the aspen trunks with green and yellow foliage and scattered evergreens beneath them provide beautiful fall forest scenes.

To be continued,

Ken

 

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