Winter Sycamore
I think trees are so much more interesting to look at when there are no leaves on them. And while I prefer the warm weather of summer for almost everything I do, I prefer winter days to photograph trees.
This is a tree of I have seen hundreds of times. It is on my normal bicycling loop and every time I pass it, I marvel at how tall it is, how it twists and spreads out against the sky. And in the winter, the low sun angle lights up the stark white branches of the sycamore against the deep blue sky. On a recent ride I decided I had to make the time and come back and photograph it.
The day I made this photograph was the best of both worlds - a warm 63 degrees on the day after Thanksgiving. And while I was photographing I came to learn that others have noticed this tree also. The man who lives across the street offered to let me photograph from his driveway if I wanted a different angle. He told me this tree has been in Pennsylvania Magazine multiple times. A woman in an SUV slowed down along the road and proclaimed her admiration for the tree. And I could overhear the word "tree" and "amazing" in two conversations among runners taking advantage of the beautiful warm November day.
What word would you use to describe this image of the Sycamore? Stately? Majestic? Grand? Those words were what I had in mind. My daughter Amy's first reaction was "creepy". I guess everyone gets their own interpretation!
Happy Thanksgiving!