Portrait of a Dying Oak (Sierra Foothills)

            The thing I remember most about this shot is what happened about 30 seconds before I clicked the shutter.  I had just set up my tripod and camera and started to frame this gnarled old oak for a silhouette shot when I heard a terrible crashing sound in the brush about 100 feet ahead of me.  Just as I looked up to see what was causing the noise, an enormous buck (with antlers to match) came bounding straight towards me.  We saw each other at the same instant, and he veered slightly to my left without slowing down at all--and just like that, he was gone, and I was left in the empty sound and fading light.

This spot is on the Merced River bottom as it runs through my in-laws' ranch.  They've been working with the state for the last 10-plus years to restore the stretch of river that flows through their property to its original state, making it more hospitable for spawning salmon.  As part of the renovation, some of the existing oaks--some towering 80 feet or so--are slowly dying as the river's course shifts away from the root system.  Other oaks, closer to the river, have been planted and are already growing to take their place, so don't be too sad for this old giant--the land is being made whole again, and this is all part of the process.

Taken in: United States / California (show map)

Taken on: November 25, 2011

Sets appears in: • California Oaks • Sierra Foothills

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, f/32.0, 0.6 sec, 84mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:	EF70-200mm f/4L USM
Aperture:	f/32.0
Exposure Time:	0.6
Focal Length:	84mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
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