Fall Color in California's Eastern Sierra
21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 October 2025
How I Created These Images
Introduction
I made these photos on a trip I helped lead with Dave Wyman to California's Eastern Sierra. We'd love to have you on this tour again in 2026, or see our other tours.
We were outside shooting from well before dawn until long after dark, shooting all day, every day. This wasn't a nerd-a-thon locked in a motel room fiddling on computers; we were outside hiking around the whole time.
Viewing top
Everyone's screens, from iPhones held vertically to computers with squinty 16:9 monitors, have different shapes. I can't make my differently-shaped shots fill everyone's screen at the same time.
On iPhone and iPad, everything changes size and gets bigger when you rotate from vertical to horizontal.
Click or tap any image to make it fit your screen. On Mac Safari, command ⌘ and + or - will change the size of the page or image, and command ⌘ + 0 brings it back to normal.
Turn up your screen brightness for best results.
These are 1,920 pixel-wide images; the originals are much higher resolution. These images will fill your screen horizontally, up to 1,920 pixels wide (3,840 pixels wide on Mac Retina displays). The vertical size will vary with each image.
Enjoy!
21 October 2025, Tuesday top
21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 October 2025 How I Created These Pictures
I awoke at 6:11A.M., left my house at 7:15 A.M. and headed to Dave's house in LA, arriving at 10:07 A.M.
We left Dave's house at 10:33 A.M. and headed north. We stopped in Bishop from 3:11 to 3:45 P.M. to check out Eastside Sports, grab snacks at Mahogany Smoked Meats and take on fuel. The first thing that caught our eyes were these trees in the little town across from Lake Crowley:
Aspens and Fall Color, Crowley Lake, California, 4:29 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 75-300mm at 200mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Virginia Creek Settlement, Bridgeport, California, 6:59 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× (6.8mm actual or 24mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 160 (LV 6.9), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We continued on, arriving at the Redwood Motel in Bridgeport, California at 7:24 P.M.
We walked over to Rhino's for dinner (this is mostly of a test of the RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM shot wide-open at f/1.4):
Rhino's Bar & Grill, Bridgeport, California, 8:03 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 hand-held at 1/15 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 5.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen, or full-resolution 6.7MB 24 MP JPG.
Of course if this wasn't a lens test I'd have shot it at f/4 at a half-a-second hand-held at ISO 100 so it would all be in focus.
After dinner we checked out a new spot for the Milky Way. Only for these shots I used my Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and Oben GH3W-15 Geared Head. I also used my Oben SPA-1000 iPhone adapter for my iPhone.
I learned on my amazing 2019 fall color trip that my iPhone 11 Pro Max can shoot the Milky Way, hand-held, however iPhones are so smart that they know when it's on a tripod and allows it to make longer exposures for cleaner results.
See also How to Photograph the Milky Way.
The Comet Swan (C/2025 R2) and the Milky Way, Bridgeport, California, 9:12 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× (6.8mm actual or 24mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 for 10 seconds in Night mode at Auto ISO 2,500 (LV minus 6.3!!!!), Tweaked in iPhone's native Photos app and curves adjustment layer masks in Photoshop CC, casual use of my Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod with my Oben GH3W-15 Geared Head and Oben SPA-1000 iPhone adapter. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
The Comet Swan (C/2025 R2), the North American Nebula and the Milky Way, Bridgeport, California, 9:26 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 for 15 seconds at ISO 3,200 (LV minus 8.0!!!), curves adjustment layer masks in Photoshop 2021, casual use of my Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and Oben GH3W-15 Geared Head. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen, or camera-original 17 MB © 24 MP JPG.
I used Tungsten white balance to keep the night sky blue rather than icky orange.
As shot, both of these were murky (milky 😁) gray. Most of the color comes from my hijinx in editing.
22 October 2025, Wednesday top
21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 October 2025 How I Created These Pictures
Today we scouted conditons. Fall color varies with time and elevation, so we would know where the color was and where it was going for the next few days.
Fall Aspens and Clouds as seen from the Redwood Motel, Bridgeport, California, 8:14 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 0.5× (2.2mm actual or 13mm eq.) camera at f/2.2 at 1/770 at Auto ISO 25 (LV 13.9), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Snow Atop the Sawtooth Range with Cattle in the Foreground as Seen from Bridgeport, California, 8:21 A.M. Canon EOS R1, Hoya 67mm HRT Circular Polarizer held over the front of my RF 75-300mm at 140mm at f/8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Dawn over Eastern Bridgeport, California, with Fall Color, 8:28 A.M. Hoya 67mm HRT Circular Polarizer held over the front of my iPhone 17 Pro Max 4× (16.9mm actual or 100mm eq.) camera at f/2.8 at 1/424 at Auto ISO 40 (LV 13.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Snow Atop the Sawtooth Range with Colorful Aspens in the Foreground, Bridgeport, California, 10:05 A.M. Canon EOS R1, Hoya 67mm HRT Circular Polarizer held over the front of my RF 75-300mm at 255mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Approaching Storm Clouds over the Sawtooth Range, Bridgeport, California, 10:05 A.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 75-300mm at 75mm at f/8 at 1/1,000 at Auto ISO 100, +0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 16.0), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Gathering Storm Clouds over the Sawtooth Range as seen from Bridgeport, California, 12:12 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 2× (6.8mm actual or 48mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 at 1/9,901 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 15.6), wires removed with the Clean Up option in the iPhone's Photos app. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We returned to Brodgeport and broke for lunch. I walked over to the Burger Barn for a Santa Fe chicken sandwich:
Approaching Storm Looking South from the Burger Barn, Bridgeport, California, 1:01 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 0.5× (2.2mm actual or 13mm eq.) camera at f/2.2 at 1/502 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 12¼), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We met the group at the motel, saddled up and rode to an abandoned gold mine north of town. We were rained on! It was fun!
Canon EOS R1 and RF 24-105mm IS STM in the Rain, Bridgeport, California, 3:51 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× (6.8mm actual or 24mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 at 1/121 at Auto ISO 160 (LV 4.0), Radiant Photo software. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Abandoned Gold Mine in the Rain near Bridgeport, California, 4:28 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 0.5× (2.2mm actual or 13mm eq.) camera at f/2.2 at 1/83 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 9⅔), split-toned print. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We made it back to Bridgeport with our feet covered in pounds of mud.
We walked to Rhino's for dinner.
Mono County Courthouse at Night, Bridgeport, California, 7:02 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 easily hand-held at 1/8 of a second at Auto ISO 200, +1.0 stop exposure compensation (LV 3.0), Radiant Photo software, perspective correction in Photoshop 2021. More tech details. bigger or full-resolution 24 MP 3 MB JPG (not perspective corrected).
Ken's Sporting Goods in the Rain at Night, Bridgeport, California, 7:02 P.M. Cropped a little from Canon EOS R1, RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 easily hand-held at 1/8 of a second at Auto ISO 400 (LV 2.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Bar Stools at Night, Rhino's Bar & Grill, Bridgeport, California, 7:45 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× (6.8mm actual or 24mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 at 1/40 at Auto ISO 800 (LV 4.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We ate as a group, and wandered back to the motel, passing the Bodie Hotel.
The Bodie Hotel at Night, Bridgeport, California, 8:44 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM wide-open at f/1.4 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 100. -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 6.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
I set my alarm for 5:50 A.M., 40 minutes ahead of our call time at 6:30 A.M. tomorrow.
23 October 2025, Thursday top
21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 October 2025 How I Created These Pictures
I was out at 625A.M. and met the group about 630am. We rolled-out at 634am, expecting a 16 minute drive.
We rolled-in to Conway Summit at 6:52A.M., 18 minutes after leaving Bridgeport. It was cold at just over 8,000 feet of elevation.
We got out of our cars at 6:54A.M., and the sunrise was predicted for 7:14 A.M.
As expected the disc of the sun popped over the White Mountains at 7:16 A.M.:
Sunrise over the White Mountains as Seen from Mono Lake, Lee Vining, California, 7:16 A.M. Cropped somewhat from Canon EOS R1, RF 75-300mm at 300mm at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100, -1.0 stop exposure compensation (LV 15.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Sunrise over Mono Lake, Lee Vining, California, California, 7:20 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1.5× camera (35mm eq.) at f/1.8 at 1/722 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 11⅙), as shot. bigger.
We packed up and went into Lee Vining for breakfast:
Red Maple, Whoa Nellie Deli, Lee Vining, California, California, 7:48 A.M. Canon EOS R1 in square crop mode, RF 24-105mm IS STM at 27mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
After breakfast I took my water cup and we headed up the Tioga Pass (State Route 120) towards Yosemite National Park.
Aspens, Poole Power Plant Road, Lee Vining, California, 11:03 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× camera (6.8mm actual or 24mm eq.) set to 48 Megapixels at f/1.8 at 1/2,915 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.8), Radiant Photo software to fire it up a bit. bigger or camera-created 48 MP © 21 MB JPG file.
Snow Atop Mount Dana with Brilliant Aspens, Inyo National Forest, Lee Vining, California, 11:06 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 4× camera (16.9mm actual or 100mm eq.) at f/1.8 at 1/2,915 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.8), Radiant Photo software to brighten it just a little a bit. bigger or as-shot 24 MP © 8.6 MB JPG file.
Our Group Transfixed by the Pelton Wheel, Lee Vining, California, 11:56 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1.95× (6.8mm actual or 47mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 at 1/535 at Auto ISO 80 (LV 11.0), Radiant Photo software, POOLE HYDRO ELECTRIC PLANT sign dodged in Photoshop 2021. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
VACANCY Sign, El Mono Motel, Lee Vining, California, 12:44 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 2× (6.8mm actual or 48mm eq.) camera at f/1.8 at 1/8,772 at Auto ISO 80 (LV 15.1), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Wehad snack in Lee Vinging, and then went to Bodie from 2:30 P.M. to 4 P.M.
We were back in Bridgeport by 4:45 P.M. and relaxed — for a whole 15 minutes.
At 5:00 P.M. we headed out to look at cows at sunset until 5:30 P.M.
We walked over to Rhino's for dinner again.
We drove out to our new spot to shoot the Milky Way from 8:15 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
We got back to our rooms. I set my alarm for 5:04 A.M. tomorrow (40 minutes before call time) and hit the sack.
24 October 2025, Friday top
21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 October 2025 How I Created These Pictures
It was 35ºF when I got up at 5:04 A.M., warmer than last year at 16º (-9º C) 🥶, but we still had ice on our cars.
We met at 5:45 A.M. and rolled-out at 5:50 A.M.
We arrived at the South Tufa parking lot at 6:35 A.M., 45 miuntes afterwe left Bridgeport.
We were walkign down to the lake at 6:40 A.M.
At 6:47 A.M. we had predawn red glow on the tufa:
Tufa in Predawn Glow, Mono Lake, Lee Vining, California, 6:48 A.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 75-300mm at 75mm wide-open at f/4 hand-held at a quarter-of-a-second at Auto ISO 800 (LV 3.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Hand-held for a quarter-of-a-second at 75mm? Easy with my stabilized EOS R1! I left my Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and Oben GH3W-15 Geared Head in the car where they belong.
The red glow quickly faded.
Sunrise was predicted for 7:15 A.M.
At 7:19 A.M. we had the first red light on the mountains to our west.
At 7:28 A.M. the disc of the sun rises over the White Mountains to our east:
Sunrise over the White Mountains as seen from Mono Lake with Tufa, Mono Lake, California, 7:31 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 0.5× (2.2mm actual or 13mm eq.) camera at f/2.2 at 1/770 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 13.5), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We finished lakeside at South Tufa at 7:53 A.M., got to our cars at 8:00 A.M. and headed to the Whoa Nellie Deli again for breakfast.
We left the Deli at about 9:30 A.M. and headed down Route 395, hanging a right at Route 158, the June Lake Loop:
Aspens and Fall Color, June Lake Loop, California, 10:00 A.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 24-105mm IS STM at 60mm at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100, -1.0 stop exposure compensation (LV 15.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or camera-original 24 MP © 15 MB JPG file.
I let my R1 make a 96 Megapixel interpolation of this image, which is a 45 megabyte JPG. It's so big I won't post it here, but you can see the relative sharpness compared to the source 24 MP file in my R1 review here.
Walking into these trees I Doescovered a magnificent arboreal cathedral of color. Looking up with my two eyes in stereoscopic 3-D (not reproduced here) was transformative, with the trees blowing around live all around me:
Arboreal Cathedral of Aspens, Lower Rush Creek Loop, June Lake, California, 10:11 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× camera (24mm eq.) set to 48 Megapixels at f/1.8 at 1/1,905 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.2), exactly as it came out of my iPhone. bigger or camera-created 48 MP © 25 MB JPG file.
Cathedral of Aspens, Lower Rush Creek Loop, June Lake, California, 10:12 A.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 24-105mm IS STM at 24mm at f/11 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), Radiant Photo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Golden Quaking Aspens at Silver Lake, June Lake, California, 12:07 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1.25× (6.8mm actual or 30mm eq.) camera in square mode (equivalent to a ZEISS DISTAGON T✻ 50mm f/4 on 6 × 6cm real medium format) at f/1.8 at 1/3,584 at Auto ISO 80 (LV 13.8), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Doe's Parking Spot at Silver Lake, June Lake, California, 12:09 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 6.4× (16.9mm actual or 159mm eq.) camera at f/2.8 at 1/608 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 13.2), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We returned to Lee Vining at 12:45 P.M. for snacks. We made it back to Bridgeport at 2 P.M. and relaxed. We headed back out at 3 P.M. to Little Walker River, and returned to the Redwood Motel in Bridgeport, California at 4:45 P.M.
We relaxed a few moments, then left to walk around town at 5:07 P.M.:
Mono County Courthouse, Bridgeport, California, 5:16 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 0.5× (2.2mm actual or 13mm eq.) camera at f/2.2 at 1/260 at Auto ISO 16 (LV 12.9), vignetted in the iPhone's native Photos app, Radiant Photo software to give it more sparkle, Skylum Luminar Neo software to erase power lines and perspective correction in Photoshop 2021. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Got Wood, or Is It Brick? Bridgeport, California, 5:34 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 24-105mm IS STM at 54mm at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.0), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
The Bridgeport Inn, Bridgeport, California, 5:42 P.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 24-105mm IS STM at 24mm at f/8 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.0), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We met back at the Redwood Motel at 6:05 P.M. We left at about 6:45 P.M. and arrived at the Virginia Creek Settlement for dinner at 6:51 P.M.
We ate until 8:22 P.M.
We were back at the Motel at 9:06 P.M.
I set my alarm to a leisurely 6:20 A.M.
25 October 2025, Saturday top
21, 22, 23, 24 & 25 October 2025 How I Created These Pictures
I awoke at 6:16am.
We met in the parking lot at 7:00 A.M. and headed out to breakfast at 7:04 A.M — but we saw this and stopped to take pictures:
Glowing Clouds over the Sawtooth Range at Dawn Looking South from Bridgeport, California, 7:09 A.M. Canon EOS R1, RF 24-105mm IS STM at 50mm at f/5.6 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 10.0), Skylum Luminar Neo software to enhance it a bit. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
At 7:13 A.M. the red sunlight hit the mountain tops to the West. LunaSol said sunrise was 7:17 A.M.
We composed ourselves and headed to the Hot Springs:
Travertine Hot Springs, Bridgeport, California, 8:16 A.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 1× camera (24mm eq.) at f/1.8 at 1/695 at Auto ISO 80 (LV 11.4), Skylum Luminar Neo software, curves adjustment layer masks for burning and dodging in Photoshop 2021. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We saw weird lenticular clouds on our way back to the Bridgeport Inn for breakfast at 8:39 A.M.
This had been such a jaw-dropping sunrise that half the town was out looking at it, so the Bridgeport Inn was a little understaffed when we arrived.
We finished and made it back to the Redwood Motel in Bridgeport, California at 10:00 A.M., and headed out for home at 10:25 A.M.
We stopped in Bishop for fuel at 12:09 P.M. and for goodies at Schat's Bakkerÿ at 12:32 P.M.
Sierra Elevation, Lone Pine, California, 1:41 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 0.5× (2.2mm actual or 13mm eq.) camera at f/2.2 at 1/1,117 at Auto ISO 20 (LV 14.7), Radiant Photo software to give it more sparkle. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Sporting Goods, Lone Pine, California, 1:45 P.M. iPhone 17 Pro Max 4× (16.9mm actual or 100mm eq.) camera at f/2.8 at 1/799 at Auto ISO 16 (LV 15¼), Radiant Photo and Skylum Luminar Neo software, perspective correction in Photoshop 2021. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.
We made it to Dave's house at 5:50 P.M, 7 hours an 45 minutes after we left Bridgeport. I left Dave's house at 6:12 P.M. and arrived home at 8:44P.M., 10 hours and 19 minutes after leaving Bridgeport, or 110 hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds after I had left my house on Tuesday.
It was a wonderful trip; everyone had a great time!
Whew! That's it; thanks for reading!
See also my experimental HDR page.
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