Fall Leaves, Granite

I took a late September hike up to Joffre Lakes early in my photography career to work with the high mountain fall leaves. I spent a fantastic day photographing dramatic colours against even more dramatic mountain backdrops of glaciers and jagged skylines.

I created a lot of photographs that would have made good postcards. However, this was one of the first times I realized that I wasn't really out to photograph dramatic scenes at all – in fact, this quiet scene from the hike out was my favorite photograph of the day. I spent hours with this group of wet rocks and creeping vines; when I was done, I felt that I had completed the task I had set out to do – something I didn't feel when I left the lakes.

Bright yellow fall colours are difficult to compose, as they can easily dominate and unweight the frame. In this small scene, the dark rock balances the heavy colours almost as effectively as empty space, giving a comfortable feeling to an otherwise edgy subject.