I really love old trees. I like dead trees and trees full of bright green leaves. I like tiny trees and grand trees that tower over my head up toward the sky. I like looking at trees and reading under them. Most of all I like photographing trees. I find trees more difficult to photograph than people. I can't tell a tree to shift its trunk toward the light or ask it to move a branch just a little bit down to make a more pleasing composition. All I can do is simply photograph them as they are. That is a lot more difficult than it may sound at first.
This photograph was made along a hiking trial in Mosier Oregon. Mosier is a very sleepy little town with not a lot going for it beyond picture perfect landscapes, a waterfall or two, and a lazy river that winds its way right through the center of town. I say all of that with the utmost respect. I wouldn't want to see Mosier change one little bit. The world needs more towns like Mosier. Nobody seems to be in much of a hurry to get anywhere. Heck, most times when I visit Mosier I don't see much of anyone at all.
It was the middle of winter when I made this photograph of a grand old tree. I'd be curious to find this tree again in the spring or summer to see how it has changed. Or perhaps not changed at all. I used my Mamiya RZ67 to make this photograph which remains my favorite tool for landscape photography overall. It may be a bit of a beast to carry around, but when I am hiking I don't find it to be much of a bother. Typically I have a backpack full of gear anyway and compared to a 4x5 camera or even a Pentax 67 it feels pretty light. The film used was Kodak T-Max 400 which I brought along knowing full well I would be dealing with overcast skies most of the day. I m continuously shocked at how the latest version of Kodak T-Max 400 shows very little grain. It's maybe a little too grainless for my taste generally, but in this case I am not going to complain.