This cottonwood tree is located in a small canyon just off the highway in the eastern section of Zion National Park.

I was at a fall colors photography workshop in southern Utah with local photographers who know Zion very well. This image was shot on a tripod and is a focus stack of three frames.

The sun was going in and out of the clouds that afternoon. I thought the more muted contrast of the scene worked better when the sun went behind a cloud. I also really, really liked the leading lines of the sandstone.