St. John's island, South Carolina
In 2016 while traveling back to Colorado from Florida I was inspired to take a detour to visit the largest live oak in the world, Angel Oak. I arrived late in the afternoon to a small park located off of a small dirt road on John’s Island. The gate was open and a short driveway led to a small gift shop and visitor center. The park was due to close at five o’clock and the staff member on hand was already making last calls to the visitors inside the grounds. It was early April and the air was cool with rain forecast on and off throughout the week. As I walked into the protected area, I was greeted by the enormous tree and its’ incredible canopy glistening in deep, verdant greens of Spring. The recent rains had re-animated the resurrection ferns that covered the wide branches that were outstretched in seemingly impossible directions. After pleading with the staff member, she agreed to allow me to shoot after the park closed so I could experience the tree on my terms and without the distraction of other people. The images I captured in that short but very productive shoot captured the tree just as I had imagined it!
Fast forward 10 years, I found myself traveling through this area once again. What I found upon arriving at the park was discouraging. The quaint and inviting park I remembered had changed and current regulations would never allow for such intimate images to be captured like I had back in 2016. Additionally, while the tree is still living and quite grand in its stature, the SE had experienced an unusually harsh winter. The Angel Oak appeared stressed and its grandeur was not felt in the same way. While trying to compose some new photographs I was constantly distracted by new signs and regulations that made recreating any of my previous images almost impossible! It may take years for the Angel Oak to recover from the deep freeze of 2026. So many places and natural subjects I photograph have changed as I revisit them. Sometimes these changes are irreversible and in the worst cases beautiful places have disappeared altogether. This is a sobering reminder not only of our own mortality but also of the fleeting beauty that surrounds us in nature and the fragile thread that weaves life together. If I am fortunate enough to have another opportunity to see the Angel Oak I won’t hesitate! Looking back at my first visit I am just so thankful I had the chance to see it at such a beautiful phase of its long life.
Upon returning home I had the chance to review my new photographs side by side with the images I had made 10 years earlier. Immediately I was struck by the contrast of the two images and genuinely surprised by how beautiful the images were from 2016! As a result, I made the decision to release this very special image from my archives. The Angel Oak, captured in April of 2016, no people, no barriers, no signs, just a 400 year old tree and its’ amazing network of branches stretched wide, gracing all who witness her enduring beauty!
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