Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali locals were calling it the best fall color in a decade, and the hillsides and forests were ablaze with fiery autumn color. Unfortunately, peak color had arrived with a week of heavy rain. As I continued exploring through the downpours, one grove of aspens kept stopping me in my tracks. Its brilliant golden leaves seemed almost illuminated from within, so I camped out there, protecting my equipment as best I could and hoping for the smallest break in the weather. Eventually, the rain softened to a drizzle and the wind settled. I lifted the poncho from my camera, composed the frame, and released the shutter.

When I arrived in Alaska, everyone had been talking about alpenglow – the legendary twilight hues that illuminate the mountain peaks. Yet on this trip, my favorite exposure wasn’t of the mountains at all. It was the “glowing” aspens of that iconic grove, an image I dubbed AspenGlow.