I Am the Storm
For over 4,000 years Mother Nature has thrown everything she had at this tree... Unbearable cold, blizzards, gale force winds, drought, searing heat, earthquakes, and unrepentant tourists, and The Guardian has weathered every storm, every threat, every challenge and remained standing, though it succumbed to inevitable mortality over 500 years ago.
This ancient bristlecone pine, situated with one other tree on the edge of a steep slope in the White Mountains has been the subject of countless photographs under a variety of conditions. I was here with a group for an astrophotography workshop, and although I am pleased with some of the images I captured later that night, this one is the one that stands out above all others.
During the last weekend in August, the daytime high temperatures - even at 9,000' elevation - were above 80° F, and at nearly 8 PM, still holding in the upper-60s, while Bishop and Big Pine in the Owens Valley below, roasted in the 90s and 100s. The heat of the valley combined with the cool air crossing the ridge tops above the Sierras to the west create interesting weather and clouds in the late afternoon, which seemed daunting initially, but cleared soon after sunset to allow for clear skies when it was time to capture the galactic core of the Milky Way above.
Recognition:
Honorable Mention - 2023 Southern California Association of Camera Clubs (SCACC) Annual competition
Excellent Merit, Nature/Landscape category - NOV 2023 PPPSDC Image Competition
People's Choice Award - 2023 San Diego County Fair, International Exhibition of Photography
Sponsor Award, Large Print - JUN-JUL 2023, International Exhibition of Photography, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, California
1st Place, Other - 2022 Image of the Year. Darkroomers Photographic Club, San Diego, California
Accepted for Display - SEP 2022 Darkroomers Photographic Club, and can be found in the Photographic Arts Building in Balboa Park, San Diego, California
I Am the Storm
For over 4,000 years Mother Nature has thrown everything she had at this tree... Unbearable cold, blizzards, gale force winds, drought, searing heat, earthquakes, and unrepentant tourists, and The Guardian has weathered every storm, every threat, every challenge and remained standing, though it succumbed to inevitable mortality over 500 years ago.
This ancient bristlecone pine, situated with one other tree on the edge of a steep slope in the White Mountains has been the subject of countless photographs under a variety of conditions. I was here with a group for an astrophotography workshop, and although I am pleased with some of the images I captured later that night, this one is the one that stands out above all others.
During the last weekend in August, the daytime high temperatures - even at 9,000' elevation - were above 80° F, and at nearly 8 PM, still holding in the upper-60s, while Bishop and Big Pine in the Owens Valley below, roasted in the 90s and 100s. The heat of the valley combined with the cool air crossing the ridge tops above the Sierras to the west create interesting weather and clouds in the late afternoon, which seemed daunting initially, but cleared soon after sunset to allow for clear skies when it was time to capture the galactic core of the Milky Way above.
Recognition:
Honorable Mention - 2023 Southern California Association of Camera Clubs (SCACC) Annual competition
Excellent Merit, Nature/Landscape category - NOV 2023 PPPSDC Image Competition
People's Choice Award - 2023 San Diego County Fair, International Exhibition of Photography
Sponsor Award, Large Print - JUN-JUL 2023, International Exhibition of Photography, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, California
1st Place, Other - 2022 Image of the Year. Darkroomers Photographic Club, San Diego, California
Accepted for Display - SEP 2022 Darkroomers Photographic Club, and can be found in the Photographic Arts Building in Balboa Park, San Diego, California