Dales Gorge

Dales Gorge

By David Wilding

Pentax K-r; Pentax DA 15mm lens; f/6.3; ISO 400; 1/800s

I worked in the Pilbara for many years and it is a non-stop photo opportunity. One day we were walking into Dales Gorge and this tree really caught my eye. I spent about half an hour shooting from all different angles. I have never found another tree as photogenic as this one.

Don’s response

It’s easy to see why photographer David Wilding spent some time shooting this magnificent specimen.

The harsh midday lighting can make it difficult to hold the shadow values while not blowing out the delicate highlight details of the branches and trunk in the full sun.

Happily, David has nailed the exposure in what looks to have been a quite tricky compositional challenge thanks to the somewhat visually “noisy” surrounding vegetation.

In the end, I think this portrait conveys a real sense of this ancient being’s indomitable character.

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