It may be the so called ‘Brown Season’ in Rocky Mountain National Park but that certainly does not mean there are not colorful and dynamic landscapes to be photographed this time of year. Here I used a combination of backlit clouds and a frozen Sprague Lake to reflect both the mountains and the colorful sky to create a colorful and dynamic composition. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 16-35mm F4 VRFor some its the ‘shoulder season’ for others its known as the ‘brown season’ and for others its the ‘off season’. Whatever you want to call it the month of November into early December is considered by many to be a less favorable time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park.
Many photographers feel the same way about the ‘brown season’ as do other visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park. Many begrudge this time of year and find other things to do to occupy their time while waiting for snow to fall or the weather to warm up come springtime. The persistent winds, frozen lakes, long shadows and bare tree’s keep many photographers at home or searching other locations to photograph.
Sure it’s a little more difficult to photograph Rocky Mountain National Park during this traditional time of year, but there are still plenty of rewarding images to be made and opportunities to be found if one’s willing to work in the wind and keep an open mind to the possibilities. Here are a few of the things I do to keep busy in the field with my photography this time of year in Rocky. 
1. Look for reflections of color, shapes, clouds and mountains in the frozen ice. Temperatures will drop this time of year and most water will freeze over in the park. While you wont be able to get full on reflections of mountains and peaks like one can during the warmer months, frozen surfaces can create interesting patterns, foregrounds and subtle reflections. Furthermore if your lucky enough to have colorful clouds or skies overhead, the ice will reflect that color helping to warm up the scene in front of you.
2. Photograph into the sun and use silhouettes to your advantage. So what if the grasses are brown and aspens have lost all their leaves. Photographing backlit subjects will relegate most of those bland areas to black space while backlit objects like grasses and water will pop when the low angle of the sun rises and illuminates these objects.
3. Get out when it’s snowing!. A fresh coating of white transforms everything in Rocky Mountain National Park to a pristine postcard winter scene. Diffused light like that during a snowstorm is some of my favorite light to photograph Rocky in. Locations where the light may never properly illuminate a subject has now evened out over the scene allowing for multiple compositions. The fresh snow will cover brown grasses and give extra detail and dimension to the landscape.
So even though it may not be the most glamorous time of year to photograph landscapes in Rocky Mountain National Park it’s still more than warrants a few expeditions to photograph the landscape during the so called ‘brown season’. Keep an open mind, embrace the season, and most importantly get out in the field and you will certainly come away with some winners.