Bristlecone Pine
The bristlecone pine is known to live up to nearly 5,000 years. There are three species of bristlecone pine spread over six states in the American southwest. They live at the very top of the tree line in areas with low temperatures in dry soil. Their growing seasons are quite short. The wood is one of the hardest making it almost impervious to insects and other pests. The Bristlecone is sometimes called the Methuselah tree of obvious reasons.
When I first saw this shot I was impressed with the clarity and crispness of the air. The colors are bright and full with a nearly perfect tonal range from the whitest whites to deep black. The photographer has thrown the subject off to the right asking us to look over the crest and at the landscape beyond. I like the placement of the clear blue sky behind the tree thus keeping our attention on the subject. You can see from the landscape this species does grow in a dry, cold environment at the top of the tree line.
This is an interesting image that could be used for commercial purposes such as a calendar or book on the area. With this layout it could be cropped a number of ways to fit different formats. But there may be some printing problems with the bright rocks in the foreground.
Click on Image 
May 16th, 2008 at 9:15 am
In the White mountains just east of Hwy 395 are two groves of Bristlecone Pines. The lowest is Schulman grove about 10,000 ft. Up the road an additional 13 miles is Patriarch grove, this is at 11+ thousand feet and is more open than Schulman. This was taken at Patriarch grove. The weather was ideal. This shot is straight out of the camera very little PS adjustments.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Wonderful shot Roy! Beautiful.