I arrived just before midnight in the dark, so I had not yet seen the autumn colors of the woodlands until I woke up. I could see that this time the colors had arrived in full force, it was indeed very beautiful.
The first day I spent along the forests in the ridgelines, while I took many photos I was happy with, I revisited the same compositions the following day, in better conditions.
I decided to go down the canyon and follow the flooded trail along the river.

In the valley, there were more variations in the color, some oranges, but mostly yellow and green.

A longer exposure created beautiful strokes of orange leaves and white bubbles in the river.
The following day, the valley and horizon were filled with mist, and there was some rain coming and going. On my last trip, I found a new lookout of the valley which I really enjoyed. I decided to go there again and to get a good look at the mists.

The valley consisted of mostly dark red and deep orange colors, with some trees having lost most of their leaves. I really enjoy how well you can see the river and the curves of the valley. To the left upper corner, you can see some mist going into the woodland, so I decided to go towards that.

The mist poking into the woodlands from the valley makes the landscapes a lot better. I really enjoy the variation of color in this scene, especially the contrast with the green leaves. What caught my attention first was the look down into the small stream, with the fallen tree and deep yellow colors. However, getting a tight composition of that proved difficult, so I ended up with a wider scene, which still worked out great. I like the contrast of the very sparse woodland to the left, while to the right the woodland is a lot tighter.
I had some breakfast and waited for the mist to roll deeper into the woodland, thankfully I did not have to wait long.

The small stream adds some great interest and detail to this scene, but the mist is really what makes me like this photo. I enjoy how the trees frame the scene, and how the branches leave a gap just where the mist is the thickest, so we get a beautiful view of the distant woodland.
I went towards a tree I have photographed many times, in many different seasons. I had taken a picture of it in autumn 2021 but failed the composition slightly. This time there were more leaves in the valley, and I was determined to get a good composition of the tree.

Photographing along the ridgeline makes for great compositions, and this tree is just so well placed at the edge. The colors were amazing in this scene, especially to that tree sticking up alone, higher than the rest. It had a beautiful fade of colors from dark red to yellow. One challenging part of the composition is the right upper corner, as the sky comes in, this time I tried covering it up more with leaves from a nearby branch, and I think it helped the scene a lot.
However, while trying to pull the branch slightly more into the frame to cover more parts of the sky, my tripod fell over, and since my hands were occupied with the branch, I was unable to catch it in time. Luckily my Sony A7ii survived, but not my Sony 16-35 F4. It has been with me since 2019 when I bought it used for 9000 SEK, but luckily my insurance paid out the full amount I bought it for, so I have been using it for free for 4 years, not too bad!

As I arrived at night, I could not see the autumn colors in the dark. But when I woke up it was clear that the beach forests remained very green, with a few leaves turning yellow. However, once I reached the valley there were clearly more autumnal colors at the top of the trees. The following photo shows the still very green forests with yellow tops.

Once I got to a lookout of the valley, I could see the mist rising from the bottom. There were a lot of colors in the valley, mostly yellow and green with a few oranges.

As I mentioned earlier, the inner parts of the beech forests remained green, but there were a few yellow spots here and there. As the mist rolled into the woodland, it created a soft and beautiful atmosphere. The mist creates a much-needed separation from the distant trees.

The few yellow spots convey the feeling of autumn, even though the forests are so green.

The next morning there were once again patches of mist appearing in the valley. I found a lookout of the valley, which must be one of the lookouts with the furthest view of the valley, as it zigzags. I particularly like the small opening in the forest canopy, permitting a view of the river hiding below.

The mist sometimes rolled into the woodland, I then had to be very quick, as it did not last long and came in small patches, making the photography high-paced and difficult. The following photo was rushed composition-wise, but it worked out.

On the way to Rondane, the autumn colors began. The first photo was taken along the roadside, at the foot of Rondane.

Further along the way, I turned onto a toll road, driving up to Dørålen. This road took me to about 1000 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains and beautiful birch trees. The birch trees were just past their peak yellow color, some slightly orange, and some almost without any leaves left. Ironically, the best photo from that evening was of a barren birch tree, with just a few leaves at the top of the branches.

With the beautiful view of the mountains, I had planned to shoot a small lake at sunrise. I was not the only one with that idea, as there were multiple photographers at that lake that morning. It was cold and very calm, creating a beautiful reflection of the mountain. As the sun rose, it set the mountain birches on fire in terms of color.

I returned to where I had spent the evening before shooting and wandered around the birch forest in the sunny weather. After a while, I found a small birch with a very nice shape. I spent some time getting my composition right, balancing the tree and the mountains in the background.

After spending the morning in the birch forest, I decided to explore the nearby area. Since the light was harsh, scouting for new photo locations was optimal. I decided to go to Dørålseter, however, the road was closed for the last 5km. Luckily, I had brought my bike along on Yeti, so I could access it more easily. The following photo was captured along the road, looking in the direction of Dørålseter. I think the small plateaus look fantastic, a very unusual shape to witness in nature, especially how sharp the ridgelines are.

Arriving at Dørålseter, the landscapes opened up more. The distant mountains had become larger, while the plateaus continued throughout the valley. The clouds had rolled in over the mountains, yet some light was able to make it through, creating this high-contrast scene of the birches in backlight, yet the sky filled with clouds.

I finally got back to Yeti at around 15, needing a rest after photographing nonstop since 6 a.m. The sky was still filled with heavy clouds, but suddenly the sky opened up just enough for some light to hit a valley. The valley had caught my attention earlier, and this was a great opportunity.

There was no particularly good light for sunset; however, once the darkness came, the sky cleared, and the Milky Way appeared. September and October are the best months for seeing the Milky Way. The national park has very low light pollution, making it possible to see it clearly with the naked eye. I had not tried photographing the Milky Way before; it was a fun challenge, and I am very happy with the results.

The night was rough, with very heavy winds shaking my car uninterrupted. The following morning, I biked out to Dørålseter again, hoping that the early morning light would hit the mountains. I was not disappointed, as the pink light showed itself on the mountain Nørdre Smedhamran.

I decided to hike along the upper northern plateau of the valley, giving me great views of the valley and the mountains. There was no trail there, but the flatness of the plateau made most of the walking effortless. The sky was a lot clearer that day, giving me constant good light on the mountain birches.

I tried to turn around for almost 2 hours, but I kept wondering what was going to show itself once I reached the next plateau. Finally, I started to make my way down toward the river Dørålen, and there I made it up onto a plateau just next to it, rewarding me with a great view of the river, the distant mountains, and a plateau just opposite the river.

My last stop before going home was Jotunheimen National Park. I arrived just at sunset, giving me very little time. However, I had been there this summer, so I knew where to look for compositions. Just a few minutes past sunset, I found a good-looking birch tree and framed it with the mountain. It was just starting to rain, which made the scene very dramatic.

I had hopes of continuing to photograph the dramatic weather, but it got a bit too dramatic, with heavy rain and fog covering the mountains.