When Jesus Walked the Earth... Photo

Photographer’s Note

White Mountains,\
Eastern California

Scene
When Jesus walked the earth … this tree was a sapling. This is one of the Great Basin Bristlecone Pines (Pinus longaeva) found scattered throughout eastern California and Nevada at elevations over 10,000 feet. This tree is within 400 meters of the oldest living object on earth at over 4000 years old. More than likely this tree is from one of the seed cones of the oldest tree.

Background
On my short get away to the other side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range I traveled to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains. The day I captured this image was the night of the full moon so I drove to the upper grove (Patriarch Grove) at 11300 feet to capture moonrise among the oldest living trees. I did my calculations and expected the moon to rise just to the right of the tree and left of the near mountain. Well…my calculations were wrong and the moon rose well to the right and behind the near mountain. Needless to say I don’t have a moonrise image. But, I did enjoy being alone with these trees for about three hours as the last person to leave the area left well before sunset. Once the moon was up and it was completely dark it was kind of spooky. I had a long drive back, 12 miles on a gravel road and then another 12 miles on paved road to reach the highway. By the time I reached the highway it was well after 2230 hours so I found a spot that I could drive away from the highway(about 1/2 –mile) into the trees and camped in the junipers.

JudyR, pauloog, pauloog, feather, xuaxo, Waylim, plimrn, Didi, lucasgalodoido, Wandering_Dan, Urs, carper, avene has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

JudyR (831) 2009-08-24 9:36

Wow, this is a terrific shot. I'm glad the moon didn't compete with the penumbra effect on the whole. Wonderful placement of your subject, perfect light and shadow. Congratulations. Judy

pauloog (6483) 2009-08-24 13:06

Hello John,
An impressive view of the oldy, so well presented in the darker natural colours of the evening. Great sharpness and depth.
a pleasure to look at, also thanks to your note.
Regards,
Paul

feather (49860) 2009-08-24 13:40

Amazing shot John of this old tree. Despite it being dark there is still plenty of light in the sky. The use of fill-flash is masterful and I would never have guessed. Was it a separate unit? It was perfect for illuminating all the details in the gnarled wood.
It's difficult to tell how the tree is still surviving.
Did you have the caravan or did you camp in a tent?
Kath

xuaxo (5719) 2009-08-24 13:47

Hi John,
Strange but lovely view of the old tree. The light has a kind of magic.
Greetings,
F.

gunbud (27851) 2009-08-25 18:12

Hi John,
That is one old tree that stands out beautifully against the soft pink and blue sky.
All it gnarly details are wonderfully seen against the mountain backdrop.
It does look like a place with spooky silhouettes at the witching hour.
Regards, Tom

Waylim (10781) 2009-08-26 0:34

Hi John,
Even though you didn't get to include the moon in this composition, but still it's definitely worth the excursion. This image is still beautiful without the moon and the POV and placement of the tree is perfect for a good composition. Sometimes the moon turns out to be so small that is becomes insignificant anyway. I try so hard to include the moon in many of my shot when I could, but often times it’s not worth it, except on a rare occasion it work out good.
I love the soft pastel sunset color on the sky, very smooth and soft in texture, contrast so well on the tree with is so sharp with great details and texture all the way down to the roots and the stone surface, I can almost hear the crackling of the rocks as you walk around the area. Have a great day.
Way

plimrn (19624) 2009-08-26 17:57

Hi John,
Wonderful detail against an amazing sky. I read your note to Kath; I can see that such wa beqautiful work was the the result of a LOT of planning and work. I was wondering how you got such detail without shadows from the moon. It is hard to comprehend a tree living so long.
HLJ, Pat

Didi (36084) 2009-08-27 10:43

Hi John
Very magnificient picture with this very old tree.
Very good lights management and the fill flash is not imposing.
Best regards

lucasgalodoido (16601) 2009-08-27 15:03

Hi John,
impressive the age of this tree, and your picture is very beautiful, with good soft colors and light. Great job.
Regards,
Lucas

Wandering_Dan (3221) 2009-08-28 13:47

Hi, John -

You did well for your trip up to high altitude! Very interesting light effects - I read your note to Kath. I don't remember that particular tree, but it is a great sample of the species.

One note on oldest things: Bristlecones are definitely the oldest living trees, and probably the oldest of the advanced life forms (advanced being a relative term), but I believe there is a fungus under much of Michigan that is older. FWIW.

Best,
Dan

guillaumejm (9080) 2009-08-29 3:27

hello john
Old and tortured!. That is a lesson we should remember. We are not able able to keep things a long time.
Something to meditate ....?
Best regards
JMarc

jhm (82487) 2009-08-29 6:45

Hi John,

This is an unique exemplar, what a tree, so old!
I am happy to see these lovely tree, this find we not here in Belgium, this is a desert tree.
I like your composition and the pleasant colours for look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

batalay (20920) 2009-08-29 21:15

Hello John,

What a surpassing photograph and a compelling note to augment the package. The exposure is flawless, matching the composition. Warm regards, and have a good Sunday.

Bulent

Urs (2840) 2009-09-01 19:44

Dear John

Definitely it is a great shot, in particular the tree is outstanding. Interestingly he grows on a rather stony dam and possibly your observation about the age could be correct. The tripod and especially the flash have been essential for the success of this picture and its fine sharpness. Great job.

Best regars
Urs

baba_flies (7985) 2009-09-02 4:11

Hello John! How many times have I tried to "shoot" the moon, last time there was nothing interesting really to make a decent shot other than some suburb houses standing there and I mean who wants to see that. Yes the trees, they would have been perfect but they are anyway with or without the moon. The sky is so nice, this pale blue-pink. You were brave, alone in the wilderness, yes I am a city person but I am becoming better with each visit to the States. But I still hear "things" when camping ... LOL ... Beautiful photo, John, worth the effort to drive on gravel roads. Have a great week, Barbara.

toto (18709) 2009-09-04 13:22

Bonsoir
belle photo de cet endroit ou s' entrelacxent ces arbres.
Beauté des branches et des racines, jolies couleurs et bonne netteté.
La lumière est superbe et donne un bel effet a votre prise.

Amitiés Thomas

john1 (2048) 2009-09-04 13:38

Hello john,

Beautifull shot, wonderfull details and colors.
Good sharpness and light.
Great composition.
have a good week end.
john

carper (64804) 2009-09-19 10:55

very nice photo here John,
well composed shot fantastic tree, good contrast fantastic photo job, have a nice day.
regard jaap

avene (10982) 2009-10-21 14:50

hi John,
right now I'm following a series of lectures on pre-history and first civilizations, so this photo is particularly interesting, just imagine what those gnarled roots have witnessed... love the gradient sky, and your mention of fill-flash reminds me that I still have to master this feature.

best,
Kristine