Picture This

Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Trees,” and readers responded with an amazing variety of those marvelous life forms from all points of the globe. It’s clear that trees remain a fascinating subject for photographers in their form, the way they catch light, and in how they adapt to the often harsh and many times beautiful places in which they exist. The photographs were also environmental “portraits”—nature and landscape work at its best.

Fall Welcome

Stan Singer caught the glorious light and color of autumn in the Hudson River Valley in New York. He photographed with a Nikon D200 and an 18-200mm lens; exposure was f/11 at 1⁄10 sec. © 2008, Stan Singer, All Rights Reserved

Lone Tree

The original photo was made by Peter Craig on Fujifilm Provia slide film using a Contax 159 camera and a Zeiss 28mm lens. An image transfer was made using Polaroid film and the remaining positive was scanned on an Epson 2450. © 2008, Peter Craig, All Rights Reserved

Bristlecone Sentinel

Jerry P. Park made this photo at 10,000 ft in the Ancient Bristlecone National Forest. Exposure with a Canon EOS 10D and a 17-40mm L lens was f/6.7 at 1⁄90 sec at ISO 100. © 2008, Jerry P. Park, All Rights Reserved

Canyon Tree

You can feel the brisk air and dazzling light in this photo by Greg Collins, made with a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II and a 16-35mm lens; exposure at ISO 100 was f/22 at 1⁄6 sec. © 2008, Greg Collins, All Rights Reserved

Tree In Fog

The atmospheric effects and warm light enhanced this image by Michael J. Cohen made in Carson Valley, Nevada. Exposure with a Canon EOS 5D and a 70-200mm lens was f/7.1 at 1/500 sec. © 2008, Michael J. Cohen, All Rights Reserved

Swaying Palms

Paul Timpa caught the breeze in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, with his Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi and Canon 17-85mm IS lens. Exposure was f/10 at 1/200 sec; he added a bit of fill flash to illuminate the foreground. © 2008, Paul Timpa, All Rights Reserved

Dark Limbs

This beautiful monochrome image was made by Joe Constantino in Westbury Gardens, Long Island, New York. Exposure on an IR-converted Nikon D70 and a 24-120mm VR lens was f/11 at 1/250 sec. © 2008, Joe Constantino, All Rights Reserved

Trees In Southern Carpathian Forest

Irwin H. Segel made this impressionistic photo through the window of a moving bus. He then processed the image via Alien Skin’s Snap Art software. Exposure with a Nikon D80 and a Nikkor 18-200mm lens was f/11 at 1⁄50 sec at ISO 400. © 2008, Irwin H. Segel, All Rights Reserved

Wellfleet Wood

This wistful image was made with an IR-modified Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707 by S. Martin Friedman. Exposure was f/11 at 1⁄60 sec. © 2008, S. Martin Friedman, All Rights Reserved

The Arteries Of Life

Photographed at the Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon, Craig Vogel used a Panasonic Lumix DMC-T23 and exposed at f/3.3 at 1⁄30 sec at ISO 640. © 2008, Craig Vogel, All Rights Reserved

Tree Shadow On Red

Steve Miller sent us a unique take on the topic, photographed with a Pentax ZX-M and a Tamron 28-300mm lens with Fujifilm Provia 100 film. © 2008, Steve Miller, All Rights Reserved

Brookdale Park

The stunning colors and mood of autumn were captured by Leslie Granda-Hill with a Nikon D50 and a Nikkor 18-55mm lens. © 2008, Leslie Granda-Hill, All Rights Reserved

Ever Watchful

Rick McIntyre used the silhouetted form of this tree with its inhabitants in his photo made in Londolozi, South Africa. Exposure with an Olympus E-3 was f/5.6 at 1/400 sec at ISO 100. © 2008, Rick McIntyre, All Rights Reserved

Cypress

Paul Rosenberg used his IR-converted Nikon D40X to capture this photo at Dead Lake, Florida. Exposure was f/7.1 at 1/200 sec at ISO 100. © 2008, Paul Rosenberg, All Rights Reserved

Rainbow Eucalyptus

This captivating design from the bark of a eucalyptus tree was photographed by Tom Judd with a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens; exposure was f/16 at 1⁄8 sec. © 2008, Tom Judd, All Rights Reserved