I mentioned the cottonwood forest or "bosque' in my last post. Well, they really thrive along the Rio Grande River banks. But, they can be seen all over Albuquerque and in the winter they stand out because their trunks, branches and just a few committed leaves are just so gosh darn interesting! They are particularly good in black and white and can be made to look moody, scary, other-worldly.
Tom and I went with my brother, Steve, to see some of the oldest ones that Steve has noticed over time. It turns out that if you have a very old cottonwood on your property you actually need permission to cut it down!! Now I know why it appears that some building newer buildings look as though they have been built around a tree.
I want to go back in this coming spring, summer and fall and photograph a couple of these trees again. We share the winter 'look' with you.
ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/500 at 80mm with Canon EOS 700D and 80-210mm lens. Shot with tungston WB and then processed in Nik Silver Effects Pro.
Tom, with a little composition magic and a fisheye, can actually make a huge old cottonwood seem a bit small. So, I am thinking he can make me tall and slim!!
Tis all folks. We left hundreds of trees there for you to photograph and each is just as interesting (or more so). It is interesting that when you bring up the topic of photographing these trees with locals they quickly direct you to their favorite tree, tell you how old they think it is and how long they have 'known' it.