Autumn in northern Arizona is very different from any other location I’ve ever lived in. Because of the great variance of elevation and climate across the area, the season extends over almost two months - first beginning on the aspens of the high country late in September, and ending in the protected valleys near the desert late in November. This image was taken as I was exploring Oak Creek canyon late in the Fall on a cold, windy day. I was at this same location a couple weeks prior and few of the leaves had turned yet, but I was fascinated by the huge maple leaves still on the trees. I returned on this blustery day to find most of the leaves were down - and decided to compose several images around the leaves on the ground. I tried several compositions near the tree where the leaves had fallen, working with some interesting shadows, but found these leaves resting on a rock far more fascinating. It was late in the afternoon and most of the canyon was in shadow, but it was very windy and cold and the leaves kept on blowing away - shifting positions. This image was captured just before a particularly strong gust - which blew the rock clear of the foliage only seconds later. I used the WC-58N wide angle adapter (24mm equivelant) to emphasize the foreground leaf, and stopped down the lens as far as possible to maximize the depth of field. The colors at this time in the semi-shadowed late afternoon, were absolutely wonderful...normally this valley is very, very green. This day, it was all pink, yellow, and grey.