Ancient Bristlecone pines in the Patriarch Grove, White Mountains, California

California is a land of superlatives and nowhere is this more pronounced than along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. From the lofty summit of Mount Whitney at nearly 15,000 feet (the highest point in the lower 48)  to the barren plain of Badwater in Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level is a distance of just over 100 miles. The Owens Valley which lies between them is the deepest chasm in North America, and to the east on the barren upper slopes of the White Mountains the oldest living trees on earth cling to life in this other-worldly landscape.

Light painting is a photographic technique where artificial light is combined with ambient light (typically at dusk or after dark) to enhance the features of a foreground subject and add a sense of mystery. It is often used on Indian ruins, unique rock formations, or trees to enhance the dramatic qualities already present in the scene.

This image of an ancient Bristlecone Pine in the Patriarch Grove in California’s White Mountains was made at dusk when the stars were just starting to shine and the sky still held some color. A Maglite flashlight with a directional snout and an amber gel was used to paint the tree during the 2 minute exposure, and a wide-angle 17mm lens allowed me to fill the frame with the large tree and still include plenty of sky.

These images are fun to create because, as Forrest Gump would say, “you never really know what you’re gonna get”. Fortunately with the advent of digital the wait is considerably shorter than the old days of film and any mistakes can be corrected before leaving the scene.