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Move over, New England. The best leaf peeping in the United States isn’t just in the Catskills. Colorado has plenty of beautiful fall foliage to enjoy as autumn aspens paint the Rocky Mountain landscape in shimmering gold.

And thanks to Jeanette Burkle, an award-winning photographer who teaches classes in the Enrichment Program at the ������’s , leaf peepers can learn to capture Colorado’s stunning colors using nothing more than their smartphones.

The quality of photography technology in smartphones, especially lenses, has skyrocketed in recent years. For example, the iPhone 15 has 48 megapixels and the standard Galaxy S25 has 50. The Google Pixel Pro 9, considered one of the top choices for taking photos, has four cameras: a 50-megapixel main camera; 48-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto cameras; and a 42-megapixel front-facing camera. By comparison, most good cameras have 12-20 megapixels, enough for posting on social media, viewing online, or making standard prints. “Technically speaking, the sensors that capture the images in a DSLR—a digital single-lens reflex camera—are larger than the sensors in any smartphone available now, and the photo files from bigger sensors will always contain more information and make better images," says Burkle. “However, the gap between the two is closing, and images taken with a smartphone can be just as successful as one taken with a DSLR."

The newest smartphones deliver the highest-quality images, so if you want crystal-clear photos that rival those taken by your photographer friends with their digital cameras, it might be time to upgrade that vintage iPhone 8.

Peak leaf peeping in the mountains is mid- to late-September, so it’s the perfect time to head west to view the aspens up and down the Rockies. In the city, leaves turn a little later, so plan to capture the iconic foliage on DU’s campus in October (did you know DU is an established arboretum?).

Here are some tips from Burkle to take with you:

1. Keep it clean. Use a microfiber cloth to clean your lenses before you shoot.
2. Look for the light! Most smartphones let you tap the screen to set the focus and adjust the brightness of your shot before you take it. Practice using these features on your phone to get the best results.
3. Timing is everything. If possible, plan your fall foliage photo sessions during the “golden hour,” the period shortly after sunrise and just before sunset, when the light is soft and warm. Shadows are softer, colors are more saturated, and there is less contrast between light and shadow.
4. Keep the scene balanced. Switch on your camera’s grid lines and let the rule of thirds guide you. Placing a pop of color, like a fiery orange aspen, off center turns a good shot into a great one. Play with perspective and leading lines so that all lines lead the viewer’s eye to the subject.
5. Mix it up! Using the various lenses available on your smartphone will give different perspectives of the scene and create interesting variations. Take some close-ups, include some foreground in wider-angle scenes, and use both horizontal and vertical framing. But be careful when zooming in for that close-up—it’s best to use the macro lenses versus pinching to zoom.
6. Turn your phone into a photo lab. “Personally, I think all photos can benefit from a little bit of editing,” Burkle said. Apps like Snapseed or Lightroom Mobile let you dial in brightness, color, contrast, and more for scroll-stopping shots.
7. But don’t overdo it on the touch-ups. A good tip when editing is to zoom in so you can pinpoint exactly what’s happening for each adjustment. Less is more.
8. Experiment, have fun, and tell your own story. This may be the most important part of capturing the beautiful Colorado fall foliage through the lens of your smartphone.

Ready to put your new skills to the test? Check out the best places for finding fall foliage on and share your pictures with us by tagging the ������ on your favorite social media channel.

Read more tips from Burkle in