It’s no secret that I love photographing fall color in the La Sal Mountains near my home in Moab, Utah. Sure, this may possibly be due to the fact that in one half hour I can drive from my house in the desert to an alpine lake surrounded by colorful aspen trees. This does not suck. But, there’s a bigger reason: solitude. I won’t be crossing tripod legs with anyone else nor will I have to get up extra early to stake my claim at some iconic view. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not poo-pooing the icons. It’s just that by the time fall arrives I’ve usually been involved in enough combat photography at the icons around Moab that I’m no longer interested in rubbing elbows with three dozen camera toting tourists. The La Sals offer a respite. A respite from the heat of summer, a respite from the ubiquitous red rock of Canyon Country and a respite from people. I can pitch my tent in a frosty meadow below 12,000′ peaks and listen to elk bugling and coyotes yipping underneath a sky overflowing with twinkling stars. It’s a good life.
Last week Melissa, Jackson and I met up with our friend Pete and headed up, up, uphill in a pouring rain. The weather cleared not long after our tires hit the dirt en route to Medicine Lake. We stopped about halfway up the road that would eventually top out at La Sal Pass to photograph a grove of aspen trees decked out in yellow, orange and red leaves. The La Sals lend themselves to intimate landscape photography. The views are certainly grand but the peaks aren’t as dramatic as those you’ll find in the Tetons or San Juans, forcing photographers to focus their efforts on smaller scenes. An aspen leaf on a wet rock, a tight group of stark white aspen trunks or a lone evergreen amongst a sea of colorful oaks and aspens.
Enjoy the small gallery of images below from our recent foray into the La Sals. I hope they inspire you to visit Moab next autumn.
I am planning to host an overnight camping trip and photo tour in the La Sals for a very small group of photographers in fall, 2013. This event will be limited to 3 people who aren’t averse to sleeping in a tent at altitude and cooking over a Coleman stove in the frosty air of fall. Look for the details on my blog and website in a few months.
12 Responses to “Autumn: My Favorite Season in the La Sals”
Jennifer L. Eggerton says:
Great shots, Bret. I have come to appreciate the beauty of intimate landscape photography. The aspens here in Santa Fe seemed to have changed overnight. Even with the expanses of color around me, I found myself drawn to the smaller details.
Bill Bean says:
Nice gallery Bret. More and more I find myself drawn to more intimate views to the point where I almost think my ability to photograph the Grand Landscape has been diminished. Nice work my friend.
Jackson Frishman says:
Beautiful stuff, Bret! That first one of the two dull leaves is really evocative, and I don’t feel like I’ve ever seen a fall image quite like it. The La Sals sound a bit like shooting fall color in northern New Mexico: I was just out for three days and hardly even saw another hiker, let alone a photographer. And it’s not because the scenery’s ugly!
Kyle McDougall says:
Great images Bret! The detail images are beautiful especially the first one. Looks like an amazing area to photograph. I’m must say I’m not a huge fan of shooting with crowds around… sometimes it’s unavoidable but I truly cherish the solitude and time by myself when creating images. When I have to start framing out other photographers and worry about being in other peoples frames it starts to take the enjoyment out of it for me.
Bret Edge says:
Thanks, Kyle. The La Sals really are a fabulous location for photography in all seasons. It’s very easy to find solitude and there’s plenty of beauty all around up there. Yeah, I do prefer to photograph without crowds but I do still find myself drawn to some of the iconic locations despite the craziness.
Bret Edge says:
Hey Jackson: One of these days I really need to spend some quality time with my camera in your neck of the woods. Sounds like my kind of place. I much prefer to photograph intimate landscapes and I’ve no doubt I’d enjoy hunting for them down that way. I really appreciate your comment on this particular image. I felt the same way about it when I made the image – it’s certainly different from anything I’ve ever done.
Bret Edge says:
Interesting point, Bill. I’ve never considered whether my pursuit of intimate landscapes has negatively impacted my ability to photograph the grand scenics. Might be a good topic for a blog post. Thanks for that!
Bret Edge says:
Thanks, Jennifer! Did you make it out to photograph the autumn aspens around Santa Fe? If so, I’d love to see a few of them. Link?!
Greg Russell says:
Great images Bret! They’re all very creative and–as Jackson said–evocative! I like them all very much. I imagine the La Sals would be quite nice in autumn.
Bret Edge says:
Thanks a lot, Greg. The La Sals are beautiful – you should come out some time. I’ll show you a few of my favorite aspen groves!
David Leland Hyde says:
Hey, I thought I posted the first comment on this post. Weird. Did it disappear? Well anyway, I like your different approach to aspen leaves and the lines and curves as well as the color in the others.
Bret Edge says:
Thanks for the comment, David. This is the first comment I’ve received from you on this post. Not sure what happened if you’d commented previously but I’m sorry for the trouble.