This photograph is an attempt to capture the staying power of the black spruce in what, for most humans most of the time, is a staggeringly hostile environment. The sky is in transition – is it clearing or is something moving in? And what will it bring? Perhaps a baking sun that has you gasping for breath in the closeness of its oppressive heat. Or perhaps an uprooting wind and blinding rain complete with lightning strikes like God Almighty’s flint, setting the forest ablaze? Or maybe just a clear, perfect new day. All of those possibilities and more are shown in every bend and twist in these two trees. To paraphrase The Dude in the “Great Lebowski” – “they abide”.
For me, the black spruce is to the Canadian North what the saguaro cactus is to the American Southwest. Both are iconic, demonstrating an awe-inspiring capacity for adaptability and endurance.
Here, in this image, the older tree and the younger one stand tall together sharing the same tiny bit of soil trapped in a depression in the rock carved out by the receding glacier 10,000 years ago. The world of our Neolithic ancestors presents itself in the trees’ silhouette. Rock below, sky above and the trees between, mediating the conversation.
And so, these two trees. We know, just by looking at them, that long after we are gone, they will be here. Doing what they do – breathing in, breathing out. They abide.
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For me, part of what makes this image is the backstory and your thoughts behind taking the photo. I also like how you’ve made the black spruces’ silhouetted. IMO that helps give them strength. Thanks for sharing this great photo.
Kerry, this image does make me feel like I am in a wilderness. The scraggly shape of the spruce is a testament to how it has been battered by the wind and weather. The dramatic clouds in the sky are further evidence of the forces that have shaped this tree. The choice of keeping the tree in silhouette makes this story even more powerful in that regard.
My only suggestion for this image is that I do not see as strong a relationship between the big and small tree as you discuss in your narrative. I think part of this is due to me being slightly uncertain as to which small tree you are referring to. I think you mean the small spruce that is in the middle of the cluster in the LRC. Assuming that’s correct, I think the tree to it’s right (with no leaves), has equal or greater visual weight as the small spruce. If you want to emphasize the small spruce more forcefully, I would either crop or clone away the leafless tree. As presented, it’s silhouette competes with the small spruce.
If you don’t mind, would you please provide a link to a map, or a general description that shows the approximate general area where you take trips to the boreal forest. I usually don’t like calling undue attention to true wilderness areas, but I am curious to how far north these locations are to have a wilderness like this.
@linda_mellor Thanks, Linda, always appreciate the props. @Ed_McGuirk Thanks Ed. I should clarify, I guess, that I was talking about the two trees standing together as the main subject of the image. They look like one “structure” but there are clearly two trunks standing side by side. I only assumed that the smaller trunk was a younger tree but, that may not be true. In any case, I love the relationship between these two trees spending their lives together in the midst of all this. Here’s a map that I hope will help you get more oriented. While my wife and I have paddled the Berens River, which flows into Lake Winnipeg and is somewhat north of the park, we’ve also paddle both the Bloodvein and Gammon Rivers, which also flow into Lake Winnipeg south of the Berens. Atikaki is a provincial park on the Manitoba side of the border that abuts Woodland Caribou Provincial Park on the Ontario side. This park system was created in large part to help preserve the Woodland Caribou, a subspecies of caribou that, not surprisingly, lives in the woodland environment and does’t participate in the mass migration of the dominant species that occupies the northern most tundra. Sadly, despite the vast area of these two parks, they’re still not big enough to support the indigenous caribou - they need a lot of territory to roam and forage. They are incredibly shy but my wife and I have been lucky enough to see them on several occasions.
I like this image a lot, particularly because of your backstory. However, if I was to look at this photograph without an introduction, I would think it is more about that wonderful sky and not the silhouetted trees. I want to get to know these trees better which means seeing their details and the detail in their setting. If you could bring out the shadow details more this image would require no explanation. This would be a great candidate for HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing. If you can easily return to the area, photographing the trees front lit or side lit would also make them stand out more. Thanks for sharing this image and bring our attention to the staying power of the black spruce tree.
There are two things that speak volumes to the “wildness” on this image:
- The composition feels rough and I mean it in a good way: It is not communicating that fairy tale land. I think the story telling is quite powerful here.
- The clouds. Oh my, drama. And I think this is where the image shows finesse. I think the scene will be completely different without it.
Thinking of this image as part of the series, this makes me really want to see the expansive view of that land behind this black spruce tree.
Kerry, thanks for providing the map as a point of reference, it provides some helpful background information.
