Lone Bristlecone in color
It seems easier to find success where others have found success, but following a personal path may lead to a rewarding journey. Such was the case in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of California’s White Mountains. The Patriarch Grove is home to dramatic bristlecone trees, the oldest living things on Earth. My goal was to photograph the trees of this grove, where many other photographers had already captured wonderful images. My wife, Linda, suggested an alternative hike along a steep ridge to an unknown destination. I followed her intuition, and together we discovered a lone bristlecone tree, high atop the ridge, catching the last warm rays of the sun as it set behind the Eastern Sierra Mountains. Our path was in the opposite direction of the famous grove, but it led to a single tree that symbolized the enduring strength and beauty of the bristlecone forest.
In the story Photographic Luck.
35 Responses
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On 29 June 2008 Yasmina Baggili gave props:
Totally amazing shot! Unique!!!!
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On 29 June 2008 Mojca S. gave props:
I LOVE shots like this one! Wonderful!
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On 29 June 2008 Mino gave props:
wow a magical shot!
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On 29 June 2008 Andrew Lorimer gave props:
Magically Beautiful !!!
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On 29 June 2008 Paco Jurgen Von Szkora gave props:
awesome light, composition and story. especially the story.
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On 29 June 2008 Patrick Baudelaire gave props:
Really beautiful!
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On 29 June 2008 Joli B gave props:
Been playing with an air-brush? This wash of color is great Chris!
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On 29 June 2008 Jay Stockhaus gave props:
Fantastic shot.
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On 29 June 2008 Peggy Gardner gave props:
gorgeous !
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On 29 June 2008 G Anderson said:
Way up in the mountains on a high timberline,
there's a twisted old tree called the Bristlecone Pine.
The wind there is bitter; it cuts like a knife.
And it keeps that tree holding on for dear life.
But hold on it does, standing its ground.
Standing as empires rise and fall down.
When Jesus was gathering lambs to his fold,
the tree was already a thousand years old.
Now the way I have lived there ain't no way to tell,
when I die if I'm going to heaven or hell.
So when I'm laid to rest it would suit me just fine
to sleep at the feet of the Bristlecone Pine.
And as I would slowly return to this earth
what little this body of mine might be worth
would soon start to nourish the roots of that tree.
And it would partake of the essence of me.
And who knows what's found as the centuries turn.
A small spark of me might continue to burn.
As long as the sun does continue to shine
down on the limbs of the Bristlecone Pine.
Music and Lyrics by
Hugh Prestwood
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On 29 June 2008 Laurie Search gave props:
So pretty!!!
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On 29 June 2008 Rand Blimes said:
When you find a place like this, where you can be alone in a crowded, often-photographed place, I think the memory of the moment is every bit as rewarding as the photograph. Great find, and great image.
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On 29 June 2008 J. Blacklist gave props:
I have seen this on your site, an inspiration...an amazing shot and glad you posted it here, you and your words are powerful and meaningful to me.
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On 30 June 2008 Norman Caldwell gave props:
Amazing colors! Incredible shot.
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On 30 June 2008 Frederic Frognier gave props:
Simply beautiful
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On 30 June 2008 Carley Hansen Prince gave props:
Wow. This is amazing.
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On 1 July 2008 Mandi Nikole gave props:
beautiful colors. love the tree
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On 1 July 2008 Guillaume Bouvet gave props:
Unique, amazing, perfect, fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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On 3 July 2008 Leanna Lomanski gave props:
You've outdone even you on this one, Chris -- this is unbelievably, emotionally evocatively beautiful (and see - women really do have intuitition!)
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On 3 July 2008 Lisa Slifko gave props:
Teriffic image Chris. Love the colours and composition.
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On 4 July 2008 Natalie S gave props:
Wonderful color tones
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On 7 July 2008 Merlin Peck gave props:
Wonderful image. The main subect is so beautifully rendered. I love the soft colors of the tree along with the razor sharp edges, all against a wash of that beautiful sky.
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On 8 July 2008 Nicholas Breslow gave props:
Sweet work - love the colors & light.
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On 8 July 2008 Warren Mangione gave props:
Amazing photo! I love it! Don't these trees live about 5,000 years? Just imagine that. I would have had to hug that tree. LOL For real.
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On 10 July 2008 Darren C. said:
Amazing light here. Incredible!
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On 10 July 2008 David Fullman gave props:
Beautiful shot
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On 11 July 2008 Portia Söderberg gave props:
WOW Chris! this is so dramatically beautiful and PERFECT. Kudos to you for the shot and to your wife for her intuition.
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On 15 July 2008 Nelson Campbell gave props:
Classically beautiful.
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On 15 July 2008 John Linton gave props:
Wonderful light.
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On 19 July 2008 Keith Skinner gave props:
Stunning Image Chris!!! Technically dead on and the color is to die for!
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On 23 July 2008 Howard Simpson gave props:
Nice Work.
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On 23 July 2008 Sherry Davis Johnson gave props:
Wow! I concur with everyone.
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On 29 July 2008 Kelly Wren said:
My favorite. :) And I love the story behind it.
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On 4 August 2008 Lisa Bernardini gave props:
Fantastic!!!!!!
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On 18 August 2008 Ikhlef Abdecelem said:
This beauty was worth the trip. Nice shot.
Also by Chris Whitney
