Autumn in the Rockies is the perfect time of year for outdoor activities. The peak tourist season ends around Labor Day, but most campgrounds, attractions, summer resorts, and high-country mountain roads stay open and are accessible through September and October. During the day, when the sun's shining - even up near the timberline - it's usually comfortably warm and dry.

Nearly all the past winter' snow melted through the summer and it doesn't rain much, so it isn't wet and muddy as it often is in spring and early summer.

Ever since I moved here I've wanted to catch the Aspens turning. The past two autumn seasons I was back in Ohio, which in its own way was pretty and pleasant that time of year, but obviously it can't compete with the Rocky Mountains. This year I timed it perfectly and made it up to the back country just as the Aspens were at their extreme glory. I've traveled the world and have seen some beautiful fall colors elsewhere, but nothing compares to the Aspens in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

This is the first time I've shot fall photos with an iPhone and an iPad. Although I did have my pro DSLR cameras and lenses with me, I wanted to mostly shoot using the Apples. I've been developing some ideas about creating some eBooks, training videos, and a blog/Website that would be strictly focused on smartphone and tablet computer photography and video. As such, most of the shooting I've done lately has been with my iPhone and iPad. The photo above was shot with my iPhone - in the direction of the sun which had just set below the mountain horizon. It's actually the product of two shots, one under-exposed and the other over-exposed. Using a 99-cent, high dynamic range (HDR) app, I can combine two images, and add the border, to get this final result.

What I love about this finished image is how well it maintained the true range of orange-to-yellow colors of the Aspens. I'm going to make a print later today. Since I've made other prints of my iPhone images, I have a good idea what this one will look like. At a 1:2 ratio, I'm going to start with a 12 inch height. I'm optimistic it will look great in the front hallway.

Tags: Aspens, Colorado, Autumn, Mountains