Biggest, Tallest Tree Photo Ever (Well Close)

National Geographic photographer Michael Nichols is one of the world's foremost wildlife photographers. But he recently said that he'd happily spend the rest of his life photographing trees. Of course, the folks over at National Geographic would almost certainly never hear of it. Nichols' new-found love developed after a serious, yearlong relationship with redwoods.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d0988c3451ee.jpg[/atsimg]

In a recent lecture at National Geographic in Washington, D.C., Nichols described his frustrations. Eventually, though, he devised a way to do redwoods justice. It involved three cameras, a team of scientists, a robotic dolly, a gyroscope, an 83-photo composite and a lot of patience. (And, OK, maybe it's not the Biggest, Tallest Tree Photo Ever -- but it's the biggest one I've ever seen.)

If you didn't notice in your first glance, all those little red and yellow specs... are people

These tree's are magnificent, I hope one day to make my way to California to see these giants.

Until then this great photo will have to suffice.

edited to add: i missed the part about it not being the tallest tree ever photographed so i added that in and added "well close" to title, sort of a misleading title for national geographic to use

however its still a great photo



Source


[edit on 10/1/2009 by Alaskan Man]

Thats pretty cool, but as I suspected its not the biggest, tallest tree ever photographed.

It would be something to see though.

Anyone who has not been to the Redwood Forests (a North American Temperate Rainforest) is missing out and needs to put it on their To Do List before they die.

Redwoods are a species of trees from millions of years ago, long before the dawn of mankind, and each tree lives to be thousands of years old. They are just shy of 400 feet tall and have diameters of up to 26 feet!

They have a way of making one feel small and insignificant. Visiting the Redwoods is a great way to put everything in your life into the proper perspective.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration opened the Redwood National Forest to logging, so these great treasures are at risk of being lost. So, don't delay and visit your Redwoods today, while you still can.

BTW, the tree shown in that picture I believe is not the tallest. The tallest tree in the world is Hyperion. It is in the Redwood National Forest but off the beaten path. It's exact location is kept secret to prevent damage to the fragile ecosystem in the area. However Melkor and Lost Monarch are much easier to find and are almost as tall (about 30 feet shorter than Hyperion, but at 370 feet in height, 30 feet doesn't make much of a difference). Most Redwoods exceed the 300 foot height of the one pictured, which is a young one by comparison.

[edit on 1-10-2009 by fraterormus]

Having been fortunate enough to grow up in Northern California, I can personally attest to the magnificence of the giant coast redwoods. Spending a little time in the forest can have a remarkable affect on a person. They change the way you feel and the way you think. Trees that were growing while Socrates spoke still grow today. Nichols is a fantastic photographer, and while he may not have photographed the largest tree, his composite photo does the individual redwood justice in a way that many have tried and failed to do. These things are immense, and it would take a lot of bother to capture one in this way.

Amazing photo. Anyone who has not seen them in person, is truly missing out on something - well amazing! I LOVE visiting Red Wood National Forest!! I love just sitting there amongst them, in absolute quiet and listening to them move in the wind!

Im only 5' tall, so standing next to some of these trees makes me feel the size of a mouse!


[edit on October 1st 2009 by greeneyedleo]

I highly recommend Richard Preston's book The Wild Trees. It is about the people who went out to find these giant trees off the beaten path. One became the world's authority on the redwood canopy. He discovered a whole ecosystem up in the heights of the trees that no one knew existed, such as salamanders indigenous to the canopy, that live their whole lives up there in ponds of water trapped by the trees.

That is an amazing tree. I would love to climb it!