Before and After: Mt Wilson in the Fall

You can purchase “Mt Wilson in the Fall” HERE
When it comes to my favorite time of year here in Colorado, the answer is easily fall. Even though I predominately photograph international locations, I always try to make time to explore the Rockies when it comes to the end of September and the start of October each year. This image was captured on Last Dollar Road, just above Telluride, Colorado as a fall storm moved through the valley. If you ever get a chance to experience the San Juan Mountain region during the height of the fall colors, you won’t regret it. Feel free to sign up with my newsletter in the right hand side bar to be notified of my next Colorado fall colors workshop in the area.

Post Processing:

This image was edited purely in Adobe Lightroom. I started out by lightly darkening the shadows as well as adding a touch on contrast. I then adjusted the “Whites” and “Blacks” sliders to fine tune the contrast of the image. I then added a little vibrance and a dash of saturation while bringing back a little more of the warmer tones using the white balance brush in the localized adjustments section. Lastly I used the clone tool and removed dust spots and a few trees that stood out on the bottom frame edge.

Equipment Used:

Camera: Canon 1D Mark IV
Lens: Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/100 sec at f/11

Before/After:

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About the Author

Colby Brown

Colby Brown is a photographer, photo educator and author that specializes in landscape, travel and wildlife photography. His photographic portfolio spans the four corners of the globe and all 7 continents. He has worked as a photo instructor for National Geographic and founded The Giving Lens, an organization that blends photo education with support for various non-governmental organizations (NGO) and causes around the world, such as child education, clean drinking water projects, and women’s rights.

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Upcoming Photo Workshop Adventures...

Patagonia Photography Workshop Adventure

April 6th – 15th, 2026

Patagonia is one of the most wild, beautiful & dramatic mountain ranges on the planet. We split our time between the incredible Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Chile and Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, home to both Cerro Torre and Mt. Fitz Roy.

A Silverback Gorilla Eating from the Uganda Photography workshop with Colby Brown

Uganda Photo Safari – A Trip of a Lifetime

July 27th – August 3rd, 2024

Uganda is one of the most unique wildlife destinations on the planet. Here you can find the endangered Silverback Gorilla along with amazing troops of Chimpanzees and the world-famous tree-climbing lions, which are found in a single area of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Join us on an adventure of a lifetime that offers some of the most intimate and incredible wildlife experiences on the planet.

Northern Lights over the Vik Church at Colby Brown's Iceland Winter Photo Workshop

Iceland Winter Photo Workshop – Ice Caves & Auroras

March 3rd – 10th, 2025

Winter in Iceland is one of those unique experiences that everyone should have at least once in their life. With this workshop, we will focus our time on the South of Iceland, focusing our time on Ice Caves, Northern Lights, and glaciers, but we will also photograph a number of waterfalls such as Gullfoss, Bruarfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skogarfoss and more.

Costa Rica Wildlife Photography Workshop

January 7th – 15th, 2026

Join me next January in one of the most biologically diverse countries on the planet, Costa Rica, where we will spend 9 days photographing toucans, macaws, rare frogs, snakes, sloths, anteaters and much more.