The Story Behind the Image

The story begins a few years after purchasing my first SLR camera, a Yashica TL-electro X., and before I even knew how to use it properly. In fact, the story goes way back to my college days (1979)

Back then, being a geology major at NAU, finding an adventurous friend to take along on an all-day day hike, or a spontaneous overnight camp out was easy. So, one cold, autumn night, I rounded-up a couple of friends for an overnight in Hart Prairie. Semidarkness fell before we arrived at our makeshift campsite, so I didn’t pay much attention to the old barn sitting among the aspen trees.

Not until morning, just as the sun crested the hill behind our camp, did I look up to see the morning light glowing through the autumn-yellowed aspen leaves and highlight the edges of the trees . There was something spiritual about the scene. Almost like a heightened feeling of awareness. I grabbed my camera, hoping I could capture not just the scene, but the feeling I was experiencing.

This photograph, despite my lack of photographic expertise, remains a favorite in my collection not only because it encompasses a small bit of my personal history, but because of the awesome comments it receives at exhibitions.

So when you hang "Aspens Taking Over a Barn" on your wall, sit back and take a good long look at it, and think of the story I just shared with you, because I’ll be thinking of you, too.