This is my favorite tree in the Patriarch Grove of Bristlecone Pines. Even when we pretend neutrality (as with our kids) the truth is that we likely have our favorites.

All ancient Bristlecone Pines are beautiful, but some are more beautiful than others. I have photographed this tree over the years—and used a sunset image of this Patriarch on the cover of Creative Landscapes.

This is a stacked composite of thirty exposures, each exposure using my 10.5mm fisheye for four minutes at f/2.8 and ISO 400—for a total exposure time of roughly two hours. I also layered in a lighter exposure from before sunset to add some detail in the foreground.

Related stories: Ancient Music of the Stars; Distant Night Storm.