Honorable Mention / 2021 / Nature / Trees

• Photographer
  David Paul Bayles, United States
• Studio
  David Paul Bayles Photography

My connection to these trees began as they were burning. The smoke filled my lungs. I was breathing in the carbon released from their limbs, their leaves, their heartwood.
The trees had survived more than two centuries of fierce winds, flooding, erosion, and the logger’s axe. In September 2020 fire raged up and down this canyon, burning 171,000 acres.
A fierce windstorm followed the fire. Treetops broke off and limbs dangled, connected by tissues charred and crisp.
I chose to make portraits conveying their dignity, grace, and connection to the mysteries of life and death we all share.