Color and Mountains – US-550, Colorado

After a quick stay at Ridgeway, we were off to our primary destination—Ouray, Colorado. Fortunately, it was a short 15-minute drive south on US-550. Although only a 10-mile stretch, it was particularly scenic. I stopped a few times to take pictures.

My first photographic find was this glorious pair of trees with most of their yellow leaves intact. Zooming to nearly 200mm equivalent, I compressed the trees with the blueish distant mountains, creating a fantastic background and the perfect color contrast. Notice how the trees fit nicely within the valleys of the mountain range, offering geometric choreography.

While I didn’t notice this usage pattern when I was there, I opted for the Fujifilm 55-200mm for many of the keepers and images I’ve used on the blog. Using a telephoto for landscapes is truly a useful tool—one that I discovered firsthand and wouldn’t have believed before the trip.

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