Autumn Aspens Leaves and Trunks
Yellow leaves and white bark on autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada.“Autumn Aspens Leaves and Trunks” — Yellow leaves and white bark on autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada.
I have noted before that many Sierra Nevada aspen trees do not quite correspond to our classic expectations — rather than tall, straight trees we often see shorter, broken, and bent aspens. I think this may be a consequence of things like very rocky terrain, lower precipitation, and steep slopes. But the classic trees with straight trunks and tall canopies do exist.
My decision to photograph in this spot was, to some extent, a practical one. Late in the day very strong winds developed. (And they would continue on into the next two days, as well.) Unless you like motion blur — and it has its place — wind and aspen leaf photography don’t mix well. Not only are the leaves (and branches and trunks) in constant motion, but the leaves quickly fall in the wind. So I headed to this relatively sheltered spot with bigger trees, found some compositions, and waited for breaks in the gale to make a few photographs.
Autumn Aspens Leaves and Trunks
Yellow leaves and white bark on autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada.“Autumn Aspens Leaves and Trunks” — Yellow leaves and white bark on autumn aspen trees, Sierra Nevada.
I have noted before that many Sierra Nevada aspen trees do not quite correspond to our classic expectations — rather than tall, straight trees we often see shorter, broken, and bent aspens. I think this may be a consequence of things like very rocky terrain, lower precipitation, and steep slopes. But the classic trees with straight trunks and tall canopies do exist.
My decision to photograph in this spot was, to some extent, a practical one. Late in the day very strong winds developed. (And they would continue on into the next two days, as well.) Unless you like motion blur — and it has its place — wind and aspen leaf photography don’t mix well. Not only are the leaves (and branches and trunks) in constant motion, but the leaves quickly fall in the wind. So I headed to this relatively sheltered spot with bigger trees, found some compositions, and waited for breaks in the gale to make a few photographs.