I got to the 3rd Vermillion Lake in Banff well before sunset so I could scout out some possible locations. Whenever I'm looking for a good composition I always pay attention to other options and how to make things work if the sky behind me does something interesting. My planned composition was actually facing the opposite direction of this image with some alpenglow on the mountain peaks, but I kept an eye on the clouds behind me just in case. I also always wait around for a little bit after the sun has set because the sky will frequently do something interesting if the clouds are just right.
I mention this because both habits paid off for this image. I waited around even though a lot of the other photographers were packing up and leaving, and I turned around to take the image I had already planned out.