Seeing the Trees through the Forest

Picture: Late afternoon cloud drifting into trees, Mineral King, Sequoia National Park, California

My 11-year-old son recently spent his first week away from home while attending his fifth-grade camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. When he returned, I found out that one of the things they had done was to take a nighttime walk in the redwood forest without using any lights. Hearing about that reminded me about the times when my wife and I were in college, we would take long nighttime hikes with our friends through the redwoods located just off campus. I also wrote about this experience in a recently published article in the NANPA Currents Magazine. It is such a unique experience to silently walk through the dark forest with these huge trees hanging at the edge of your peripheral vision.

Of course, in life we know the saying how important it is to see the trees through the forest. Whether that means paying attention to the details without losing sight of the goal, or not losing the path because of all the obstacles in your way, both are very valid interpretations.

At the moment I’ve been plowing my way, slowly but surely, through a huge editing project. This image is one of those that I didn’t remember taking until I came across it during the edit. What I like about this shot is that it represents both a singular tree, highlighted by the sunlit cloud behind it, and the larger forest in the same frame. It also shows that moment between obstructed vision, which represents the concept of chaos or confusion, and the sense of oncoming clarity.

I hope everyone keeps seeing the trees through the forest, the forest from the trees, and remember to watch out for the roots that can trip you up if you’re not careful.