I come here every year and the conditions vary enormously.  But the tree is more or less the same each time.

I placed my camera on the ground, I managed to compress the horizon line to as thin a wedge as I could. I think the image worked because I had set up the camera for a ‘regular shot’, and just before I made the image, the snow subdued the background and simplified what is normally a view towards the mountains of the Mokoto pass. Instead, we have the small island / peninsula of Lake Kussharo, and slight pinkness of the sky because the snow was preventing the sunrise from bursting through.

It is now a well known landmark (nothing to do with me I assure you). It is right next to the road and lake side, easy access. I had no idea that for Japanese and Korean photographers, this lake is a mecca, as it is for anyone who is a keen Michael Kenna fan. So it has been well documented over many years. Anyway, painted maple tree is a beautiful tree, and we should all enjoy photographing her.