Among the Aspen

Among the Aspen, Lundy Canyon, Eastern Sierra (California)
Sony a7R V
Sony 100-400 GM (with extension tubes)
ISO 200
f/5.6
1/30 second

I’m deviating (briefly) from grand landscapes to remind you (and myself) that even the most beautiful scene is abundant with smaller, simple beauty. Case in point: The Eastern Sierra, which is filled with expansive views beautiful enough to easily drown out Nature’s exquisite subtleties.

Last week I shared an image from North Lake that featured many of the components nature photographers look for in a dramatic landscape scene: beautiful clouds and light, jagged peaks, a sparkling reflection, and vivid aspen throbbing with color. As spectacular as each of these things is, for me it’s the yellow and orange aspen that really make the North Lake scene special. When faced with a view like this, because it’s easy to overlook the underlying intricacies at play, each time I visit the Eastern Sierra I make a point of spending quality time among the aspen.

From a distance, especially in autumn, it’s the aspen’s color that first draws the eye. But move closer (or zoom tighter) and other qualities start to emerge, starting with the way the leaves dance and shimmer with the breeze. Closer still, and the parallel white trunks come into striking focus. But it’s not until you plunge into the depths of an aspen stand that you fully appreciate unique character of each individual aspen, the graceful curves of these knotted, textured trunks that seem to have paused mid-move while in the midst of an elegant dance.

I’ve explored many of the canyons up and down US 395 that are ideal for intimate aspen exploration. Unfortunately, the priorities and time restrictions of a workshop schedule generally limit my Eastern Sierra aspen opportunities to Bishop Creek Canyon (where North Lake is), and Lundy Canyon (a little north and west of Mono Lake). Though completely different, each offers opportunities to photograph aspen both far and near.

I found this little scene near the trailhead at the end of the Lundy Canyon road, during the final shoot of this year’s Eastern Sierra workshop. Instead of taking the popular approach to photographing within an aspen stand—some version of (usually) truncated trunks using front-to-back sharpness that emphasizes their parallel verticality receding into the distance—my preferred aspen stand approach is to minimize depth of field to isolate specific aspects of these beautiful trees. But the very quality that makes these close aspen scenes so enjoyable also provides a significant challenge: what my eye sees is absolutely nothing like what my camera sees.

That’s not a complaint, because the camera’s ability to “see” and share the world in ways that are completely foreign to human vision not only allows photographers to expand their viewers’ perspective, it may just be our most powerful opportunity for creativity. When I approach an aspen scene, I first decide what I want to emphasize. In last week’s image the aspen were across the lake, and just one (albeit significant) component of a grander scene. But when I wander among the aspen, I have to decide whether I want emphasize the parallel trunks of the entire stand, the yellow leaves (or leaf), the colorfully blanketed forest floor, the unique character of an individual trunk, or maybe some hybrid of multiple aspects.

In this instance, I decided to make it all about the trunks. I started with a tree that had a good assortment of knots, scars, and striations, then repositioned myself until the tree had a fair amount of separation from the trunks and leaves behind it. The position that worded best had a few green leaves dangling between me and my target trunk, but I was pretty sure my shallow depth of field plan would make the leaves a feature rather than a distraction.

I went to my 100-400 lens, adding 15mm of extension so I could focus closer, then set my aperture wide open (f/5.6). Now I was ready for the best part: putting my eye to the viewfinder, focusing on the trunk, and watching the scene to transform. As expected, the close green leaves created a soft green border. My subject trunk jumped into sharp focus, revealing all the intricate texture and definition I hoped to emphasize. while the background trunks softened into complementary vertical posts with enough definition to be recognizable, but not so much as to draw the eye from my subject. And the surrounding aspen leaves blurred into a golden canvas upon which my scene rested.

Following that initial view I tweaked my position and focal length a few times until everything felt balanced. But after few minutes the sun crested canyon wall, washing out the beautiful soft light, and the workshop was over.

An interesting (to me) aspen fact

Aspen reproduce largely by sprouting suckers and shoots from their roots. This makes a stand of aspen a single organism of genetically identical trees, all fed by the same root system. Though each individual aspen trees will only live up to 200 years, a mature aspen stand can be thousands of years old.

Aspen Near and Far

Click any image to scroll through the gallery LARGE

Aspen Abstract, Lundy Canyon, Eastern Sierra

Color and Clouds, North Lake Autumn Reflection, Eastern Sierra

Aspen Trunk, Lundy Canyon, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Among the Clouds, North Lake Reflection, Eastern Sierra (California)

Aspen Carpet, Lundy Canyon, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Aspen, Grand Tetons National Park

Aspen and Ferns, Bishop Creek Canyon, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Symmetry, North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Chill, North Lake Reflection, Eastern Sierra

Aspen Trunk, Lundy Canyon, Eastern Sierra (California)

Lakeshore Autumn, North Lake Reflection, Eastern Sierra (California)

Autumn Light, Grand Canyon North Rim

Sunset Reflection, North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Dancing Aspen, North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Light, North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Reflection, North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Aspen in Autumn, Bishop Creek Canyon, Eastern Sierra

Aspen Autumn Reflection, Bishop Creek Canyon, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Morning, North Lake, Eastern Sierra