Valley Sunset Near Cedar Breaks, Utah

Valley Sunset Near Cedar Breaks, Utah

Our fall color in Utah is starting to fade, and is a reminder to me that winter is just around the corner.  At this time of year I am always a bit melancholy knowing that I will miss the bright, beautiful colors of spring, summer and fall during the winter months that will soon be here.  

Milky Way at Lake Powell

Milky Way at Lake Powell

On this beautiful Lake Powell night, as the day's fading light slowly revealed the splendor of the heavens, I paused from taking photos to be still and enjoy this profound beauty. The tranquility and peace of my moment was only interrupted by the sweet sounds of laughter that was music to my ears, as 12 of my 13 grandchildren were all together in the houseboat, playing twister and eating more junk food than their parents would allow in a year. And, I would like to think, that somewhere among the stars, my 13th grandchild, my precious angel grandson, was watching over his brothers, sister and cousins and he was enjoying this moment with me. I believe that families are forever, God is in His heavens, and all will be well!

Autumn Aspens Basking in Sunshine

Autumn Aspens Basking in Sunshine

Doesn't this just make you happy!!!

Aspens in Autumn - Red, Orange, Gold and Yellow

Aspens in Autumn - Red, Orange, Gold and Yellow

All of the Autumn aspen colors mixed with soft meadow green, deep pine tree green, and brilliant blue sky.  What a beautiful world!

Aspen Fire in Autumn

Aspen Fire in Autumn

Many places in this area, were covered in thick forests mixed with both aspen and pine trees.  My photos of those scenes never looked as dramatic as they did in person.  I preferred compositions where the aspens were separated from thick foliage or other trees, like this one.

Walking Through Sunshine

Walking Through Sunshine

Such a beautiful place for an Autumn stroll in the woods!

Red Aspens in Utah

Color Pop

I love how the color pop of the grove of bright red aspens stand out from the otherwise neutral surroundings, and the cloud formations further draw your eye toward them.

Autumn Aspen Leaves

Autumn Aspen Leaves

As I was enjoying a few quiet moments surrounded by the aspens in my last post, I noticed the variety of colored leaves that had fallen from the trees.  I arranged a few of them on a lichen covered rock and took this macro shot, for those of you who have never seen aspen trees up close.

Red-Golden Aspens in Utah

Red-Golden Aspens in Southern Utah

I took a few minutes to enjoy this peaceful setting, beautiful weather and perfect autumn day.  Sometimes it is hard to isolate a distinctive 'subject' element to give a focus point to an image, but when I saw the sun shinning through this forked tree trunk, I found my composition.  I used a fisheye lens to add an interesting perspective and the sun flare.