Almost unrecognizable icon w/repost

I made the obligatory stop by Maroon Bells this fall in, what is turning out to be, my annual attempt to get the Bells with perfect conditions of peak fall color, a recent snow, and an epic sunrise. I didn't get that image this year, either, but I like that the clouds covering the peaks made them look a little different, and not that easliy recognized. And, that the pre-dawn light contributed to a different feel for this great scene.

C&C welcome, and thanks for looking,

Morris

Oh, I'm liking this, Morris. It looks a little underexposed here, so check that, but the clouds with the color makes for a great scene. You get this one dialed and its a winner.

PS. My dream Maroon Bells shot has escaped me to this point as well.

Love the feel to this Morris. The clouds add a different personality to the mountain you don't normally see. Well worth the trip! I'll agree with Joshua that to my eyes it looks a little underexposed and could benefit from a little bump.
I'd love to have this shot myself!

Thanks, Joshua and Richard. And, you are right, it needs a boost for sure with this white background. I forgot to bump it up from my processing with a black background.

Love it. I'd like to see it after the final adjustments. Did the final adjustments tone down the blues?

You got a nice combination of conditions. Looks a little clipped on the dark end of the histogram. You might try lightening the shadows and adding some local contrast.

Wow; I love the aspen colors reflected in the lake, and the clouds really do transform the Bells. I would really light to see it lightened up a bit as suggested above.

Stunning. I like having the peaks shrouded. It adds mystery.

O.k., here is a version with a third of an exposure increase, and some blue removed. I don't want to take too much blue out as it was pre-dawn and I am trying to keep that feel rather than a daylight white balance. Of course, this one is small as I can't repost a large one. Thanks everyone for the input!

I've come back to this image a few times now and it keeps getting better and better. I think it's the calm reflection and cool colors that really makes this one for me. I think the new post looks pretty darn nice too.

I like this and I agree you don't want to take the blue any lower. This should tide you over for sure for another year!

Sorry for the late comment. I love the mood, the reflection and like the way the clouds on North Maroon give the visible part of the peak almost the same shape as the actual peak would have had if the clouds had lifted. With that said, I probably wouldn't have let the trees on the left, and their reflection, go completely black. It still feels a bit heavy to me. And I know I'm a bit OCD about this, but did those aspen really look that warm in that intensely blue light? That warmth adds a lot to the appeal of the image, I realize, but I wonder if that's really what it looked like (of course, there's no reason that replicating what you saw had to be your goal!)

Morris,

On the white background of the screen, I like the reposted version a lot better. I felt like the blues dominated the first interpretation, to the detriment of the image -- I couldn't get past the color cast to appreciate the rest of the image.

Nice work. Should hold you on the Bells for at year or two...

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Glenn,
I warmed the white balance from 6400 to 7100, and increased sat by 21 in RAW. I shoot in standard mode in camera. All adjustments were made globally, and I can't remember my phone number 5 minutes after I dial it anymore, so my memory is completely unreliable for recreating what I saw.

And, truthfully, that's not my goal when working on images. I want to keep them believable if possible, not going completely crazy, but I let each image guide me through the process of where it seems to want to go. That, of course, is probably just personal preference. I do like contrasts, whether in color, light, or texture, so that drove my "development" no doubt. My approach is not to document, but to create.

I also find it interesting that you think it is left-heavy as the right side seems to pull so much with all that brighter area. Hmmm. I was actually trying to achieve balance with the more square crop and dark and light elements. I may have missed the mark on that.

Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments!

"I've come back to this image a few times now and it keeps getting better and better."

My sentiments exactly., especially with the reposted version. I really like what you captured here and in a way, I like it more than the typical iconic versions floating around. At the least, this is one helluva consolation prize! How many others were there with you?

Thanks, John.
When I first got there, and I was a little late because I overslept a bit, there were probably 50+. After I shot I counted 76 with more arriving by the minute. And, this was on a Tuesday.