Day two of my recent Paradise Lake backpacking/camping trip was great for fall color photography. There are no aspen trees up at that elevation and there were no big yellow trees, however, the brush and shrubbery around the lake were turning vibrant yellows, reds, and pinks. It was so cool to see and it made for some very colorful photos.
This first one was at sunrise, looking east. The water was perfectly still which reflected the trees and little islands almost perfectly. I really liked how this area of the lake was looking.
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Almost right behind where I was standing for the photo above, was this scene below. Looking to the west, the colors of the sky were more purple and pink, instead of the yellow and orange to the west.
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After the early morning photos, I headed back to camp for breakfast. My buddy's tent is obvious on the left. But can you see my green tent in the center, just past the bush with the little red berries? And that's the lake on the right, I slept about 10 feet from the shoreline, so serene.
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After breakfast, my friend and I decided to take a hike around the lake. We left all our gear at camp, but we did bring snacks, water, and of course I brought my camera. Our tents were under the trees, across the lake, in the center of the photo below.
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The reflection of the granite boulders in this spot of the lake caught my eye. So I had to pause the hike and take a few more photos.
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Those fall colors were popping! I'm not sure what this bush/plant is called, but wow did it make a good foreground for the shots. There's those little red berries again. It looked like the squirrels or birds had been eating them, but I didn't dare try them considering I had no idea what kind of berries there were.
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As we looped around the lake and got back closer to camp, I had a lot of fun with the camera. My buddy marched on and went back to the tents, so I felt no pressure to hurry. I was able to really work the scenes and shot a ton of photos.
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Yup, more fall colors! And a nice sunburst.
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There's those small little colorful islands again, the same ones that were in the first sunrise photo.
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Almost back to camp, this was a spot I walked to often over the weekend to have a moment of zen. Again, those fall colors!!! I tried fishing with my little Yoyito hand reel near this spot. Even though I have been to and fished this lake many times over the years, I have never caught a fish here... It was frustrating, and my buddy joked about my lack of success more than a few time. But no worries, I caught tons of great photos and that makes me even more happy.
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All of these photos were shot with a Canon 5DS R and a 24-105mm lens.
The photos are numbered 1-10. Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for looking and I hope you are all having a great day! (or evening...)
Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.ScottShotsPhoto.com (These images will soon be available as large fine art prints through my website.)
