Last week, I posted a photograph taken from the PCT trail above Donner Lake and wrote about the lake’s dark history. If you are not from California and have never heard of the Donner Party—I certainly had not before moving here—you may want to read last week’s blog post first.
I captured the featured photograph (1/640s, f/9, ISO 250) on that same day, though this image tells a very different story. The lake looked calm, peaceful, and almost inviting beneath the afternoon light.
I have always been drawn to photographing ghost trees and even created an entire collection dedicated to them, called Monterey Trees. In the Sierra Nevada, these ghostly forms are the remains of once-living pines and firs that endured centuries of brutal winters before finally succumbing to wildfire, drought, or beetle infestations. Yet even in death, they continue to shape the forest around them. Woodpeckers hollow nesting cavities into their trunks, insects shelter beneath their bark, and seedlings often emerge quietly at their roots.
At sunrise and sunset, the pale trunks glow silver and gold in the alpine light, giving the Sierra an almost otherworldly atmosphere. To hikers, climbers, and photographers alike, ghost trees are reminders that the mountains are never still. Forests burn, storms pass, and life slowly begins again.
Note that the photo on my last post was in color whereas this one is in black and white. The contrast between shadow and light enhances the mystery of these trees and allows me to focus on the subject rather than the landscape. Compare with the color photo below. Which one do you think portrays the tree better?
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Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous
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It is all about the light 
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