Now that fall has turned to winter in the mountains doesn’t mean that you have to put your camera away.  Some great spots for fall photography remain in the Denver area.  One of my favorites is the network of trails in El Dorado Springs near Boulder.  In particular, the sumac glows brilliant red at this time of year.  Framing the sumac with the Flatirons in the distance makes a wonderful sunrise composition.Other areas to check out are any of the myriad open space trails which run along creeks or rivers throughout metro Denver.  The cottonwoods are still turning colors.  Be sure to look for reflected color along in the water.Macro photography can also be quite fun.  The flowers have turned to seed and some of the foliage and seed pods of the weeds and flowers make great close-up subjects.  The milkweed is very showy with its feathery seeds.  Try and backlight these compositions to bring out the color in the foliage.  Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge has a large collection of milkweed as do many of the trails along South Boulder Creek.Don’t forget wildlife photography.  Many predators such as coyotes and fox are out looking for food and should be readily found near sunrise and sunset.   Water birds such as geese and ducks are also found in abundance at this time of year.  Look at East Lake in Thornton or Fossil Creek Reservoir near Fort Collins and you should find several species of waterfowl.  Good luck shooting.

Many photographers put away their cameras this time of year before the really big snow hits.  However, late fall and early winter is one of the best times to photograph water.  Waterfalls are starting to freeze over and icicles hanging on logs and rocks can make for some intriguing photo ops.  A recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park netted several photographs of half frozen waterfalls and icicles.  The area around Glacier Gorge and Wild Basin was particularly beautiful.  Walking up the Calypso Cascades in Wild Basin gives a whole new perspective on these stairstep falls in winter.  Ice hangs off everywhere.  Walking up the left side of the falls reveals a very nice waterfall.The great thing about hiking this time of year is that snowshoes are not needed yet.  Snow has fallen only on the areas above 10,000 feet and the trail is snow-covered or icy in only a couple of spots.  So grab your camera and enjoy late fall for a change.

Having just gotten back from a trip to Mount Rainier National Park, I can attest that this is a place you must go to with a backup plan in mind.  Dreaming of wildflower filled meadows and sunny views of the mountain, I was greeted with 3 days of rain and fog, not to mention historically slow snow melt.  So no flowers, no views, what to do?  The answer is photograph some of the parks hundreds of waterfalls.Mount Rainier National Park boasts some of the finest waterfalls in the nation, many within a few feet of the road.  Christine Falls, Silver Falls, and Narada Falls make gorgeous subjects in the mist and are but a handle of steps from the parking lot.  Narada requires a short hike to get a fuller view of the falls but it is worth it.  The cascade spreads out as it crashes below the main park road.   For those looking for a more remote scene, Comet Falls is worth the steep hike.  The falls plunge a few hundred feet over a cliff, making it one of the tallest in the park.  Several smaller cascades are worth a photograph along the way.  The trail leads steeply up from Christine Falls along its mile and half route.  Myrtle Falls near the Paradise visitor’s center, however, was not worth the parking hassle.  This scene really needs the mountain as a backdrop to make this small waterfall photo worthy.   Photographing waterfalls can be challenge in the fog and mist, however.  Shutter speeds are often a second or longer.  Times are even longer with a polarizer to eliminate glare form the wet rocks and vegetation.  Pushing film one stop (if you’re still shooting it) may be one way to shorten the shutter speed.  Also, try and underexpose shots a little so as not to burn out highlights in the water.   So now that I have waterfall photos of the park, I can go back next year to get flower photos.  Assuming the weather cooperates then.