Autumn Rainbow, originally uploaded by tomkellyphoto.

Fall of 2011 was simply amazing – color everywhere and extending for over six weeks. The one thing that was missing in our own Wasatch Mountains, though, were reds. So it was a quick car stopper when we ventured up the Mirror Lake Highway towards the High Uintahs and found this amazing patch of red, green and yellow.

This is a longer telephoto look at a grove of trees not far from Soapstone Basin. It was photographed with a Nikon D700 fitted with a Nikkor 70-300 lens on a Manfrotto tripod. single shot, no HDR.

Of all the many dozens of selects I chose from this past fall, this one has always stood out in my mind for the vividness and diversity of the color.

It was, literally, an Autumn Rainbow!

Clouds Over the Courthouse, originally uploaded by tomkellyphoto.

One of my longtime photographer friends, Rod Hanna, got me thinking about clouds several years ago in Utah’s redrock country. Nothing against a clear blue sky, but clouds make a photograph.

Sadly, puffy clouds in the morning are a rarity in the desert. So I was delighted early one morning in Moab when the sky began to fill with cumulous clouds at sunrise.

The Courthouse Towers in Arches National Park are very accessible, located right on the main drive. They are massive redrock reflectors in the morning. But on this day, they were enveloped in some of the most beautiful, puffy white clouds I had ever seen.

Knowing my interest in HDR, most think this is a multi-image photograph. It it not. It was just an amazing morning with fast, racing clouds ripping across the sky.

The photograph was made with a Nikon D300 fitted with a Nikkor 16-85 on a Manfrotto tripod.

Chicago Skyscape, originally uploaded by tomkellyphoto.

The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) stands out amidst the south loop skyscape in Chicago as sea gulls fly from the nearby Chicago River. The 110-story Willis Tower stands 1,450 (not including radio towers) and is eighth largest building in the world and tallest in western hemisphere.

I love making photographs of skyscapes. In this case, the sea gulls were an added enhancement. (c) 2011 Tom Kelly

Rainy New York City, originally uploaded by tomkellyphoto.

Kind of a random shot, but kind of like the way this policewoman captures the frenetic scene on 42nd Street in New York City in the middle of a fall rainstorm – people dashing to and fro, umbrellas raised!

Via Flickr:
A policewoman directs traffic on 42nd Street near Grand Central Station on a rainy morning in New York City. (c) 2011 Tom Kelly

Yellow Aspens, originally uploaded by tomkellyphoto.

What a fall color run we had! I’m making some 24×36 gallery wraps of this glowing aspen scene from Guardsman Pass for an upcoming show. If anyone wants to pre-order one for yourself or a holiday gift, let me know and I’ll give you $50 off the show price.

Singletrack, originally uploaded by tomkellyphoto.

This image is a personal favorite – not only as a photograph for the memory of a great ride on Park City, Utah’s Mid-Mountain Trail.

This singletrack route through the mountains represents the genius of Mountain Trails. The three resorts are naturally laced with trails, many old mining roads. They go up and down and can give you thousands of feet of vertical in an afternoon ride.

Mid Mountain Trail is different. It basically hugs the 8,000 foot contour offering what I call pedal and roll terrain. Sure, there’s a few climbs. But nothing significant. And the views as you crisscross from open ski runs to dense aspen and pine forest are some of the most memorable in the Wasatch.

It’s not easy to ride with a heavy Nikon D700 hanging from your neck. There are lots of stops. This particular vantage point was fascinating to me. The steep ski run on the front face of Park City Mountain Resort put everything on an angle. And the singletrack trail bisected the run and headed back into a glowing yellow grove of aspen.

It shows the diversity of the terrain on the Mid Mountain Trail as a long rider speeds along the narrow singletrack and into the next stretch of forest.

The trail runs from Deer Valley Resort through Park City Mountain Resort and on to Canyons. The most popular segment is from Empire Lodge, where you climb up and above The Montage, on to Park City Mountain Resort.

My afternoon ride took me from Empire all the way through PCMR, dropping into the Silverlode lift canyon where I picked up the Crescent Grade Trail which took me back around to the frontside and eventually down to the bottom by the First Time lift.

Have fun!