Tag Archives: foliage

Autumn Trees, Red Rock Cliff

Autumn Trees, Red Rock Cliff
“Autumn Trees, Red Rock Cliff” — Cottonwood trees with fall foliage in front of a red rock cliff, Capitol Reef.

From what I’ve seen, the fall color season in Utah can be lengthy. On my visits I’ve seen the tail-end of aspen color at the beginning of October, implying that it peaks in late September. Out in red rock country the cottonwoods and oaks and other trees transition a bit later. And although I’ve never timed it quite right, I hear that great color is to be found in Zion Canyon in early November.

We stopped to photograph these trees in Capitol Reef National Park on our drive back to camp from a day of photographing in a remote region of the park. It was late afternoon and the light was not going to last a lot longer, so we pulled over a short distance from our campground and worked with these trees growing right in front of a sandstone cliff.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Red Rock Mountains, Autumn Foliage

Red Rock Mountains, Autumn Foliage
“Red Rock Mountains, Autumn Foliage” — Fall foliage along a creek below red rock mountains, Capitol Reef National Park.

This photograph contains the quintessential color palette of the Southwest in general and this Utah landscape in particular: red rock, green trees (here starting to pick up the golden tones of autumn), blue sky, and brown water. I made the photograph while looking for scenes of non-iconic subjects at Capitol Reef.

I ended up here partway through a long trip to photograph in Southern Utah. I photographed in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef and Zion National Parks, and a few other more remote areas. This visit was some years ago, and I would like to return and investigate more of Capitol Reef National Park, a place where it seems that many of the most interesting features are some distance from the main tourist areas.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Morning Fog, Autumn Forest

Morning Fog, Autumn Forest
“Morning Fog, Autumn Forest” — Morning fog darkens a dense autumn forest.

Sometimes there are photographs in (almost) your own backyard. As much as anyone else, I enjoy traveling to beautiful places to make photographs. But I can’t go to such places all the time, so it is fortunate that there are plenty of interesting things to see close by. In my area that might include the redwoods or the Pacific Ocean… or just a nearby rural area at the right time of year.

I made this photograph along a road that is far from famous. (Perhaps the only people who would know about it are those who pass by on their way to a nearby local park with hiking trails). But around here, in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are lots of little spots where trees grow thickly and where fall colors continue right on into December.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Zion High Country, Evening

Zion High Country, Evening
“Zion High Country, Evening” — Autumn evening in Zion National Park high country.

I made this photograph very close to the end of a lengthy photography trip to Southern Utah. After shooting on my own for days and then working collaboratively with friends and fellow photographers, I left the others behind and joined my family for a few days in Zion National Park.

We stayed outside of the park boundary, a short distance up a side road that leads way back into the park’s less-known high country. We decided to follow that road and see where it would take us. Eventually it arrived at a sort of plateau — high country ringed by red rock formations and cut through by deep valleys. I made this photograph close to sunset along that road.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.