TheTreefinal_sm
The first time I encountered this tree I immediately felt a hum from it. an energy. It felt almost scary - like power and perseverance and magic. An overwhelming Presence. Every time I visited the nature preserve - I made sure to greet it and check on it. In the summer of 2023, it looked like it was leaning further - just inching a little closer to the ground. I had a feeling that I needed to make a photograph of it before the portal closed for good. I made this rather unstable ladder (turns out I enjoy whittling) and was delighted when a fellow photographer and friend came with me to help make this photo. It makes this image even more special to me. Captured with large format camera and film. Shortly after capturing this photo, the portal closed forever.