Leaves of all colors line the autumnal banks of Yosemite’s Merced River as fall takes over from summer. I used a 432mm telephoto lens to shoot across the river itself into a sun-splashed forest glade dominated by a small but brilliantly illuminated tree, wearing its new autumn colors. Three tall trees seem to stand guard behind it, casting protective shadows across the face of it as well as on the ground in front of it. With the help of the spot-meter in my camera (my single most important tool for landscape photography) I was able to expose this picture for this tiny illuminated area, and put everything else into relative darkness. The result is a landscape photograph that uses light to tell its story of the changing season and neighborly protection.