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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighteen: Light and Landscape – combining personal vision with nature’s gifts > Scorched pines, Yosemite National Park, California, 2008
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15-MAY-2008

Scorched pines, Yosemite National Park, California, 2008

By spot metering on the brilliantly illuminated ferns on the forest floor, I cause the stand of pines to grow darker, emphasizing the scars left on them by a recent forest fire. The light reflected off the ferns adds a soft, indirect glow to the scorched bark. The image speaks of nature’s way – fire and timber are not only enemies - they are collaborators.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/500s f/5.6 at 29.1mm iso100 full exif

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Phil Douglis05-Jun-2008 20:53
It is very sensual, Alina -- we want to see, touch, hear, and smell what we see here. Thanks for pointing this out.
Alina05-Jun-2008 20:38
Great light, very inviting scenery, I can almost smell the scent of that forest.
Phil Douglis29-May-2008 18:07
Exactly, Carol! These trees are survivors. Survival is a human value that we can associate with pride.
Carol E Sandgren29-May-2008 04:58
I see "enduring" of these magnificent trees. A little fire isn't enough to put them down! THAT would be something a tree could be proud of!
Phil Douglis28-May-2008 21:15
Thanks, Rosemary -- I love your question "Can trees be proud of scars." Of course not -- trees are incapable of thought. However, pride is a universal human value, and I think that many who will see this image will feel that by being scorched, the trees have endured and survived and are better for the experience. They will feel a sense of pride for them. Thanks for the comment, as always.
sunlightpix28-May-2008 20:53
I really like your pairing of the intense green of life with the black bark of death.
Can trees be proud of scars?
How will Yellowstone look 20 years after the fires of 1988?
Phil Douglis27-May-2008 19:46
Controlled or not, we are looking at the face of fire here, Tim. Scorched trees proudly bear their scars over a forest floor that seems full of new growth. Whatever it is, it seems to be working.
Tim May27-May-2008 18:13
These pines were probably scorched by controlled burns which are a newish policy of the Forest Service. This is a good representation of the theory behind the burning which is to allow for new growth and to not have the devastation of huge forest fires fueled by the debris on the forest floor.
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