One of my favorite areas to photograph in Colorado is around Crested Butte, especially in autumn. Driving west on Highway 12 will take you over Kenosha Pass and through miles and miles of aspen trees. In the fall, it is quite the site to see.

Early in October I spent a couple of days in Crested Butte before heading south to Ridgway. Many of the aspen trees close to town had started to lose their leaves, but the large aspen grove out west was just about at peak color. A real bonus this year was the ferns that blanket the ground beneath the aspens in many areas were a nice golden brown. In the right light, they almost seemed to glow.

This scene caught my eye many times as I drove along the road. I stopped to shoot it a couple of times, but it never seemed to have just the right light that I was looking for, until this day. There was a light drizzle falling when I arrived. The bright overcast sky illuminated the aspen grove, highlighting the white tree trunks and the golden ferns. The entire grove seemed to glow. It was just what I wanted.

This panoramic image was made by combining six separate exposures in Lightroom. The final result can be printed very large with lots of detail.

Click on the image to view it larger in the galleries. Fine art prints are available.