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| Aspen Panorama, San Isabel National Forest, Colorado |
I've always loved
the feeling of walking through an aspen grove in the fall with every backlit leaf glowing like stained glass in the sun. I
can never get enough of the bold contrast of golden leaves set against a Colorado blue sky. I also love the way warm sunrise
and sunset light paints white aspen trunks amber and how the orange light enhances the already rich color of the leaves. As
I thought about ways to capture that feeling in a photograph, I decided that the image would have to include several elements.
First, I wanted to be standing inside an aspen grove looking straight toward the rising sun. Second, I needed an aspen grove
set high enough above the valley floor that it would receive first light from the rising sun. A grove still lingering in blue
shade at 9 am wouldn't work. Third, I wanted a very wide angle of view, close to 180 degrees ‒ wider than any lens could
encompass, and wide enough that I could see the sides of the trunks on the far right and left sides of the panorama catching
the sunrise light. That meant I would need to stitch together a panorama from many different frames, which in turn meant I
needed a perfectly calm morning. Fourth, I wanted to be standing near the eastern edge of a nearly level bench in the woods,
with the ground just past the edge of the bench sloping downward toward the east. That would ensure that the more distant
trees growing lower on the slope would provide colorful foliage in the lower part of the frame, while the leaves of closer
trees growing higher on the slope would fill the top of the image. I found a nearly ideal location along the Colorado Trail
near the South Mount Elbert Trailhead in 2010, but was too late for the best color. I returned in 2011 to find the best color
I'd ever seen in that area and was able to shoot this image on a perfect fall morning. As often happens, the process of creating
the images I consider my best starts with a strong emotion, but requires careful analysis, planning, and execution to finally
bring to completion.
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Aspen Panorama is available as a 14x30 and 18.5x40 inch
print. Both sizes are available loose and framed behind glass (no mats).
To order either of the loose sizes, or to order a 14x30 inch
framed piece, please visit my product catalog by clicking the link beneath the appropriate thumbnail. These prints
are available to order online.
Important note on shipping: The framed 18.5x40 inch print
is too big to be shipped via FedEx ground and too big to fit in any standard-size art box. While this print can
be shipped, it requires a custom-made crate and the cost is exorbitant ($300+). I strongly suggest that all customers
who live outside the Denver metro area and who wish to purchase an 18.5x40 inch framed print buy the loose version
and take it to the custom frame shop of their choosing. I will glady provide detailed instructions to the framer on
the moulding I use and my preferred method of mounting and framing the piece.
For customers who live in the Denver
metro area, I will personally deliver a framed 18.5x40 inch print for a delivery charge of $1.50 per mile based on round-trip
mileage. Alternatively, Denver-area customers can arrange to pick up their print at my home office in south Boulder. For
more information, please call 303 499-3009 or email me.
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18.5x40 framed print of Aspen Panorama. To
order, call 303 499-3009 or email me.
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