"Yes, it's that damn tree again!" [View all]

Let’s face it, photographers are practically obligated to get a shot of The Tree (as it has become known) when visiting the Portland Japanese Garden in autumn. This year, however, there was good reason to get in line for one’s fifteen minutes of allotted time bending down under its branches. The Tree sported two-tone foliage – bright golden-yellow by the pond, deep red-orange near the path, giving it a very different look from my previous visits.

The first two shots are wide-angle and normal variants of the classic composition probably found in every landscape photographer’s portfolio; what follows are several images with different compositions or lighting conditions, which may prove a relief to those who’ve seen the usual composition (several hundred times) too often.