Bark Code

Never Be Stumped For A Tree Shot

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes the least expected situations can bring you a great photo. This shot was taken while we drove the Top Of The World Highway from Dawson City through Alaska and then through to Canadian territory before heading to Beaver Creek.

We’d been told that there were a couple of places on the highway where crews were carrying out resurfacing work. So it was no surprise when we were flagged down and had to wait for a pilot car to take us through the one lane that was operational.

At the second place, we were still on Alaskan soil when we spent about ten minutes waiting for the pilot car. On a glorious autumn afternoon, with the sun still fairly high in a clear blue sky, I suddenly realised that the sun was positioned perfectly, alongside a fleeting patch of powdery cloud.

I had been shooting through the window of the SUV all along the highway and I quickly changed the settings on my camera before jumping out onto the shoulder. I only had to walk a few feet from the vehicle to get this shot, with the sun conveniently hidden behind the cloud, silhouetting the narrow trunk of this nearby tree.

And yes, I made it back to the SUV before the pilot car arrived. But if we hadn’t stopped here, I probably wouldn’t have been able to capture this image of Alaska that I’ll always treasure.

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