Nathan Welton

These clients were super outdoorsy and really wanted images that reflected the beautiful autumn we'd had that year in Colorado. They were thankful their wedding date coincided with the peak of the fall colors -- almost to the day -- and during their couples portraits, we inevitably found ourselves in an incredible aspen grove. I wanted a shot that was pure gold, and shooting the couple from above seemed like the best way to get this. The only problem is, aspen trees generally have no branches until you get pretty high up. Over the years of shooting Colorado weddings, I've grown fairly skilled at climbing branchless, spindly trees, so I took off my shoes, slung a camera over my neck, and started climbing as I would ascend a palm tree. I actually won a palm tree climbing competition in Thailand in 2000, so I felt a completely misplaced sense of confidence. I shot this image from about 25 feet up, and chose a 15mm fisheye to emphasize the sense of height, but also to ensure golden leaves on the ground and in the air as well.