“Autumn Delight”, Oregon Aspen Grove

Description

“Autumn Delight”, Oregon Aspen Grove

Deschutes National Forest, Bend, Oregon

“Autumn Delight” This aspen grove awash with fall color is amongst my favorite fine art landscape photographs.  I hike extensively in autumn in hopes of captures new and magical compositions in the midst of ephemeral beauty.  I have always loved trees yet they haunt me. Gazing upon and attractive grove of aspen trees always bring me joy but capturing them on photographs is much more elusive. Taking a 3-dimensional tree with considerable depth and displaying it in a 2-dimensional work of art isn’s always rewarding.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a beautiful aspen grove from afar, only to be disappointed upon closer inspection. I’ve spent countless hours chasing fall colors as they work their way through our Oregon Aspen Groves. This is by far the most beautiful group of aspen trees Iv’e found near my home in Bend,Oregon. As a fine art landscape photographer, I recently made a pilgrimage to the vast aspen groves on the western  slopes of the San Juan Mountains in Southern Colorado. Colorado’s aspen groves dwarf our in Oregon but they are not MY groves. I take a endless pride in capturing the beauty of Oregon in my fine art landscape photographs and I’m especially fond of this image. It was as much a matter of persistence as it was expertise and preparation. I simply knew there was a grand composition of our local aspen trees, It was a matter of finding it. I recall the moment I caught a sideways glimpse of the those bright clean trunks intermingled with a vibrant orange chokecherry bush. I was instantly smitten.

Sierra Club Calendar October 2016. “Oregon Aspen Grove” Photograph, by Bend, Oregon photographer, Mike Putnam.

I returned to this same scene several times that autumn season to experiment with composition while the fall colors matured. I’m glad I did. I’ve sold countless prints of this gorgeous image and I’m proud of everyone of them. Several years ago, I was honored to have this exact image featured in the prestigious Sierra Club Calendar, an honor of which I am exceptionally proud.