THE SEASON OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER

THE SEASON of The Photographer A PORTFOLIO

The ritual begins with a chill breeze on a September eve on the San Francisco Peaks, or Mount Baldy, or the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Then, slowly. autumn creeps down through the life zones. With the proper mix of moisture and sunlight, the transformation takes place. Deciduous islands in the seas of evergreen conifers are set ablaze with warm hues of yellow, orange, and red. Arizona's diverse landscape makes it a gradual process, extending the colorful exhibit over weeks and building to a crescendo in October. The quaking aspens of the highlands are the first to change, spattering their bright golden leaves against a palette of deep blue sky. Then, farther down the slopes, maple and oak, sumac and sycamore join the show. Eventually autumn reaches even the low elevations, coloring the cottonwoods along desert watercourses. This is the season of the photographer-these precious few days when Nature's fickle, extravagant pigments are in their prime. -Peter Ensenberger Reminiscent of an impressionist's canvas, maple leaves dance in the cool winds of Indian summer in the highlands near Sedona. RANDY PRENTICE

Flagstaff's trademark: San Francisco Peaks, Arizona's highest, mantled by early snow. LES MANEVITZ October's candles: aspens at Navajo National Monument. GARY LADD Near Lake Powell, a touch of autumn warms a somber canyon. GARY LADD

Autumn winds and aspen leaves. ANGIE BENNETT

(BOTTOM) Aspens in snow: North Rim of the Grand Canyon. TOM BEAN (RIGHT) A fall morning in Casner Canyon, near Sedona. RANDY PRENTICE