I went through my autumn images one more time and found more to process. This is my 5th post of the season with a total of 49 images posted. I always work harder in the fall! I hope you enjoy seeing what autumn looks like in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. By the way, once on my actual blog you can click Denise Bush’s Photo Blog at the top and easily scroll through all the posts and images without having to click from page to page. I’m going to take a few days off now! Thanks so much for stopping by to read and look.
As with the previous post, the images here are not arranged chronologically. That’s how the fall colors develop … in no particular order. There might be some green mixed in here, and then trees that are past their prime there. I’ve included a few intimate landscapes of aspen arrangements that caught my eye. And, with this post I found that in three instances I wanted to show two compositions featuring the same mountain. I decided to show them together for comparison. It’s common for me to stay at a vantage point when I see the light changing, hoping for something spectacular. That’s what happened with the last two photographs that include the road. The first is an example of ‘gap lighting’. The sun peaked out below heavy clouds just before the sunset that followed. For the other comparisons a change in vantage point, light and clouds helped to create different compositions.
As I write this, we’re just past the middle of our peak foliage display here in Colorado’s glorious San Juan Mountains! What is considered ‘peak’ is usually the last two weeks of September through the first two weeks of October. So far, so good although I’m sad to report that many of the aspen families have suffered from the drought of the last few years. It’s patchy … some gold, orange and red, some green, some dead. The photos in this set are in no order, as I’m going back and forth in folders from September 18th to October 1st.
Following is my first batch of Fall 2026 images. Each time I go out shooting my goal is to find something new, given the the reality of distance, access and conditions. In my search, I am often drawn to scenes I have photographed before. I suppose for the same reason they captured me in the first place! In that case, I try out different compositions and vantage points. Autumn photography is all about capturing scenes with colorful foliage. For me, the composition and lighting comes first, and the amount color is second. Some of these may have less fall color than others, but that is not important to me. I like every phase of the season … even when there’s some green, or when the foliage is past peak. We’ve been getting a lof of rain … what we should have gotten earlier in the season, and then some. I like those cloudy, color saturated days too.
In this post I’m sharing images from Autumn 2025 that I have never posted. It isn’t that I didn’t post a lot last fall … I did! These are extras, in the ‘waiting to post’ folder since last year. I hope you enjoy seeing this prelude to the autumn colors. I am not sure what this year will bring. It appears color might be a bit early because of the drought. And then there’s the fire too. It destroyed some beautiful nearby forests that we will all miss. As I look at this collection, I’m recollecting what a great fall it was. I remember many people remarking that it was an especially beautiful year, and I agree!
This post displays a collection of reflection images for the archives. Shot at different times when the opportunity arises, I’ve have been saving them up until I had enough for a post. I love finding spots near the water where I can play with reflections. I almost always come away with something I like, or at least have fun trying!
Using what was available, pioneers and ranchers built many log structures across The West. Left behind, they can be seen here and there, throughout the rural landscape. Here are some recent finds along with a few that were just waiting for the right post to come along.
Finding and photographing old places and things has been a longtime passion. Always drawn to these subject, my fascination goes back to childhood. I just love the stories they tell. For those who are also interested in this subject, check out my store website, where I have a curated collection of 158 images in a gallery called ‘Remnant & Remains’.
‘The Gold Mountain Fire’ started close to home on June 27th. Aided by dry conditions and strong winds the fire is growing quickly, and as I write this we are at 15,000+ acres and 0% containment. Not officially confirmed, some blame strong winds and a tree falling on a power line. Sadly, fires are becoming a worsening, normal occurrence throughout The West. With no rain in the forecast, experts say this could be a long haul. This morning the air was still and the smell of smoke was strong. We could not see our normal view of the mountains … that’s where the fire is! Luckily and so far, the winds have been in our favor and a highway down below separates us from the destruction. The photos here (in chronological order) are from an overlook in my neighborhood on the second night of the fire. I went to the spot about an hour and a half before sunset and stayed until it was dark. I witnessed both, the sunset and moonrise looking like red balls amidst the smoke. Watching the fire take on a powerful life of its own is a hard to describe experience … one I’d rather not have. But for now, all we can do is wait, watch, hope and maybe do a rain dance.
We are well-informed by officials in our community and through an app called ‘Watch Duty’. The app is free and provides updates and an interactive map for the whole U.S.
For this small collection I’m including new landscapes with a sense of wide, open space. That’s the thing about The West … it’s wide open. We love watching the big skies and weather of all kinds, come and go throughout the seasons!
After a dry winter and spring, here we are in the start of a dry summer. We’ve had smoke from huge fires in Utah, and a few days ago, we couldn’t even see the mountains. The sun looked like a red ball at sunset and sunrise. It’s been windy too which doesn’t help in these conditions.
Still preoccupied with other interests I haven’t been getting out to shoot as much as I would like. I’m hoping for some good conditions when I do. Thanks for visiting!
With the official start of summer soon upon us I thought it was time to share. Here are some favorites from my few, but most recent shoots. I hope you enjoy this quiet, contemplative, and springlike set as we move into the summer season.
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