Yes, we all have one.  Some are fortunate enough to have more than one.  What is it?  What do you have that you might not know about?  It's a favorite tree!

     "Trees are are sanctuaries.  Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth."  Herman Hesse

     You know that tree that you always stop to admire and appreciate?  That could be your tree.  I have more than one.  Perhaps you, too, have numerous trees that are special.  Please don't tell me you don't have one.  You just might now yet be aware of it.  If you truly don't have a special tree you are missing out on a very special relationship.

     The tree in this image here is one of my favorites.  It's a Vine Maple tree.  Although it looks small it is older than it looks.  One  clue is the amount of moss covering it.  That takes years, often decades to acquire that kind of moss coverage.

     Trying to create a decent image of this tree has baffled me for five years. The background is messy and chaotic.  Everything is close to the same shade of green.  Achieving any kind of separation between this tree and the background has bordered on impossible.  Even when we have had thick fog I have sat and waited, but the fog never penetrated the trees to reach ground level.

     And then came a spur-of-the-moment hike this year.  Fall colors were still on some trees.  The yellow colors of the leaves gave me something to make this tree stand out from the surrounding forest. Why did I never think to come here in the fall?  But in five years it never crossed my mind.  It's already on my calendar for next year.  I will come earlier in the season and make as many trips as it takes to improve on this image.

     This serves to reinforce my theory that revisiting a location is just as important as the location when seeking to create a compelling image. 

     I woke up to fog recently.  Thick, beautiful, get lost in fog that a photographer dreams about.  With camera gear in hand I was soon headed out to take advantage of this dream.  Most of the time the fog doesn't make it into the hills and valleys where I normally go hiking.  So I chose to go to one of the two rivers that border the town.

     It's been almost two years since I have been to this spot.  Most of the year it doesn't offer much for photography.  Fall is the exception.  River plus autumn foliage and fog sounded like a perfect formula.

     But I was too early.  On my last visit it was the in November and bit late for prime foliage color.  This time it was October, but the leaves just hadn't started to change yet.  Well I had the river and the fog.  But the fog had settled in so thick I could barely make out the other shoreline.  This is a spot I need to re-visit, maybe more than once to get the color I wanted.

     Location, location, location, might be right for real estate.  But in photography you need the location and weather or light to make it all work.  Remember to revisit often.