The Character of a Juniper Tree

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

– Abraham Lincoln

 This New Mexico juniper tree is estimated to be over 400 years old.  Its intertwined bark captured my eye along the trial long before I arrived to see it up close.  It has so much character in its branches and trunk.  The beauty of the tree is pure in color, but transforming the image into black and white alludes to how the tree has been living and surviving all these years on this earth.

Prints of this image can be purchased at https://www.etsy.com/listing/197736584/the-character-of-a-juniper-tree

 Photograph – © Christena Stephens Photography