FallenSoldier Archives - Bliss Photographics

Perspective Twisted Pine

Twisted pine trees, once they loose their bark to weathering and decay, show their grain. This snag might be 50 years laying in this spot after it stood here for several hundred years. This hillside that it is on protects it from as much cattle pressure (rubbing/scratching) as it would get on a valley floor.

The spiral is the tree being twisted by the winds pushing unequally on the sunny side versus the less dense shady side of the tree. The winds will gradually turn the tree into a corkscrew. Inexorable force over a long time is the reason for the spiral growth. Nature does many things we don’t think about unless we look below the trees skin (bark) to it’s structure. This is one of the best examples of this over such a long distance on the trunk that I have found. I know of quite a few of these trees. Usually they are broken up pretty badly. This one is “well preserved”.

I’ve tried this a few time. It’s pretty difficult to get the close far perspective to work. I still needed a sense of the 40 foot long snag. I did have to wait until the sun went behind that little cloud to take the edge off the lighting. This was still pretty early an hour from sunset from the sun’s I usually work with perspectives. This cloud comes along and makes it all possible 📷👁. Cloud Filters work as well as any glass filter in front of your lens.

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands (Wyotana).

Title Perspective: Twisted Pine

Perspective: Snag to Sunrise is a view right as the sun was coming up over the hill. The grass was just starting to highlight, the air was very crisp at -2 degrees. I tend to work wide lenses in really cold weather. They do better with a shivering photographer I think. Long lenses don’t like the shake lolol.

It had snowed about 4 inches but the 1/8th inch of ice that covered everything was problematic walking around the uneven slopes. The footing was treacherous as seeing sticks under the snow was not a sure thing. THe reason they call fallen logs snag, is that they snag you walking near them lolol.

Perspectives that go from closest focus (12 inches with this lens) to infinity are a challenge to compose. Having the snag as a leading line is an easy choice but the ice covered snag was sure novel to me. I worked this hillside through this entire sunrise…. until I got a tad chilled and then headed back to the Jeep. A few dozen good captures came from that morning. Winter has sure come early this year.

I can still get up on the ridges though and today (a week ago as this posts) is 50 degrees and muddy. We get a bit of a warm snap before it get’s serious lolol. I figure by late November this year we’re going to have a foot flat +and it won’t melt till late February. Winter is long here in the borderlands on the high ridges.

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Title: Perspective: Snag to Sunrise