"Aspens in Pastels"

My daughter and I were out scouting a sunrise location after spending the night in Mammoth Lakes along the Eastern Sierra. I was looking for a specific area along the June Lake loop, but was coming up empty and running out of time. I was about to turn around when I spotted a vivid group of orange aspens up ahead. No time to keep looking elsewhere, so I committed to this composition. I expected that the sky would turn rosy when the sun emerged and would help the aspens. Only one problem! The tops of the trees were merging with the distant ridge on the opposite side, the kiss of death for this comp. What to do. A higher vantage point was needed to bring the tree tops down below the ridge line. How about climbing onto the roof of the car? As long as I could get a narrow band of separation, the composition would work. Voila!! Now the dents on my car roof are above everyones field of view except my own. I just look at those dents and reminisce!  

Grant Lake along the June Lake Loop. Thanks for your thoughts and I hope you will

take in the Larger view!

Man, I feel badly or anyone who's at all colorblind.  This is just wonderful.  Thanks for the discussion about the vantage point, too.  It's good to be reminded that composition always requires care and usually effort, too.

Thanks John! We left on Friday afternoon and arrived in the area around 5 pm. We were there until Sunday morning around 11 am. This was the best photography weekend I have ever experienced and I have had a few you know! Every time I pointed the camera, the scenes just unfolded. Totally fulfilling! (I should have known this would get a 4 right out of the gate. Well, it isn't a nude, nor is it a coastline scene, so no surprise there)

super image John, I 've tried the car top photography luckily I stood on plywood sheet on the roof bars so no dents but keeping the camera still was a challenge.

Thanks Richard! John only wishes he was here for this. Yeah, I have had good luck standing on my car roof and I seem to pull it off without any movement blur. For this one, I alternated getting on and off the car so it wouldn't wiggle underneath my balancing feet!

Damn 3/4 trolls.  I just added a (sincere) scoring improvement to counter some of that garbage.

Beautifully done Mark! Love those pastel colors, merged with the autumn colors. Well done! Hope that wasn't a new car?

All the best,
Neil

Thanks Neil and again John! It is downright disenchanting to put up what I feel is one of my best efforts, only to get splatted by a handful of squishy 3/4 tomatoes. I have witnessed many surreal scenes of beauty; this one ranks in the top five and I just don't get it. Well, so much for that! Neil, I drive a Mitsubishi Lancer (Mitzy) and she was already abused before I owned her, so really no harm done. I have stood on my wife's car roof also, but it is just too high for anyone to see. My roof is lower, so it could be visible to some others, but no one would care!

Very well done Mark.

Best regards,

Doug

Thanks Doug, I appreciate the positive response!

All of  you Eastern Sierra  images  are  magnificent.

Thank you Bela! This was probably my favorite of the whole trip!