“Walking Among Giants” has special meaning to me, representing peace, tranquility, and symbiotic existence. The silver birch, a common tree native to Europe and parts of Asia, is an upright member of ecological communities providing open canopies for mosses, grasses, and flowering plants to grow, which in turn attract insects. Birch woodlands are also home to several different species of birds. Not only do I love this ecological side, but I also love the contrast of the bright bark with the dark greenery commonly found behind it and the way the argentine leaves flutter in glistening sunlight as the wind blows through stands and groves.
I spent months searching for a stand of silver birch trees that were relatively straight and still had their bright bark. As the trees mature, they lose their white appearance and become a darker, rougher gray. To capture the peacefulness of this grove in Chamonix, I decided to go out on an overcast day with very soft light and use a more muted color palette with a shallower depth of field, causing the background to blur softly into various tones of green. I chose to have only a select few of the trees be in focus to add to the sense of tranquility by reducing the chaos of the details in the background. I also wanted to show the macrocosm that lives within this grove by capturing an ultra-high level of detail and what could be considered hundreds of macrophotographs within the larger frame. Peering into the details you can see ants walking along the bark of the giant birch trees, the coarse texture of the lichens, the individual strands of the tiny clumps of moss, and the droplets of dew on the grass. It is an image that imbues a room with tranquility while providing intrigue with what one might find hidden in the details.
Date & Time | July 14, 2021: 8:57am - 9:19am |
Location | Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
Coordinates | 45.937247, 6.893397 |
Focal Length | 350mm |
Aperture | f/8 |
Shutter | 1/10sec |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 80 |
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Total Pixels | 1,706,846,596 px |
Width | 41,314 px |
Height | 41,314 px |
Aspect Ratio | 1 : 1 |
Date & Time | July 14, 2021: 8:57am - 9:19am |
Location | Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
Coordinates | 45.937247, 6.893397 |
Focal Length | 350mm |
Aperture | f/8 |
Shutter | 1/10sec |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 80 |
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