We had a glorious visit to Colorado's San Juan Mountains this fall. They are always beautiful, but when you add golden aspen and snowy mountains, it can be unbelievable!
I was enjoying the stately trees along this river, but was getting a bit frustrated that I couldn't find a good image. Either the colors were too early, the river or riverside was too messy and distracting, or the river didn't lead to a nice visual 'payoff'. Other places looked like they would be good, but there wasn't good access without a drone.
All it took was some patience: when this scene came around the bend, I knew my searching was over. I love the mixture of red, yellow, and green foliage; the river leading the eye to the mountain meadow and aspen groves; and the interesting clouds in the sky.
I shot the scene as both a landscape and portrait orientation, and for too long (!) had trouble deciding which I liked best. Duh - then I realized that there was no need to choose! Both are great, and sometimes people need a vertical print, while other time a horizontal fits the need. Problem solved!
Vertical image: https://mccluskynaturephotography.com/.../fall-river-in...
Horizontal image: https://mccluskynaturephotography.com/.../fall-river-in...