METHUSELAH MUSE

METHUSELAH MUSE

I am always looking for that picture-perfect tree, one whose profile and form completely fascinate me. After years of searching, my persistence paid off.

On a desolate mountaintop in California lives such a tree, purportedly the world’s oldest living organism – a gnarled and twisted bristlecone pine believed to be over 5,000 years old. These amazing trees grow in isolated groves at very high altitudes, around 12,000 feet.

Discovering this magical tree for the first time felt as if looking through an almanac. The ambiance on the mountaintop was amazing, graced by thin air which reminded me of an erstwhile shot taken on top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii many years prior.

But there needed to be something above and beyond to punctuate to this arboreal marvel. A dramatic rising moon in a heavenly epic star-filled sky was my aborning conception, inspiring a rapid setting up of my equipment to frame the shot exactly as practiced many moons prior. The anticipation of seeing the approaching glow of the moon on the horizon was unreal!

The silence high up in the skies at the top of the mountain won’t soon be forgotten. Shooting straight up at a 5,000-year-old tree, with the stars and moon above was a special moment, a truly heartfelt period of reflection. Bathed in enchanting beauty and a deep sense of stillness, this unearthly scene was packed with peaceful tranquility.

It’s a beautiful world we live in, and capturing it is the feeling I live for.