this image was taken to compliment a previous image i released back on new years 2020 called "lovers" and begin a series of these two same palm trees...this image is the same two trees on south padre island, in pretty close to the same frame, on the same evening (only earlier), but a much shorter exposure of 11 seconds (compared to 333 seconds) with different clouds thus, and entirely a different color palette of blues and yellows...
but i always try to remain true to myself and my artistic style in photography (which i have become known for)...those of you who know me know that i love taking pictures of trees, and know that i am a long exposure specialist, and i love taking various images of different types of trees at varying degrees of longer exposure times. and because i take such long exposures, you have the true reason why you have never seen any pictures of palm trees from me yet (before the impressions of these palm trees of mine this year)...
because, simply stated, it is nearly impossible to remain true to my style and create an impression where the entirety of a palm tree remains in sharp focus, especially difficult the longer the exposure time...for me to take pictures of palm trees the way i envision, i need an evening at sunset, one with beautiful glowing clouds, and one where there is no wind what-so-ever...i need a dead calm, perfectly windless and void of any airflow, but this is an extreme rarity in evenings by the beach, truly a virtual impossible improbability...
but i have always had patience, and never forget one of my visions i would like to create as an impression...and have been waiting, and waiting, never forgetting to recognize the opportunity if it ever arises for me...sometimes believing it would never happen...but it did on this night, january 2, 2020 on south padre island in southern texas...i was lucky to be there and witness such an explosion of colors in the clouds, over the course of a couple hours, like an exploding rainbow...but even luckier to be able to capture my vision with my camera, and remain true to my own photographic style...i was lucky to get to experience the beautiful sunset during a windless evening at the beach, both of which i needed at the same time to be able to create a few long exposure compositions, the previous vibrant ultra long-333 second exposure of palm trees, as well as this one too shot at 11 seconds in a beautiful sunset (plus one more to come of an even longer exposure of these two trees at a later date too)...
it seems such a small thing, the wind...for other photographers, they would just shoot a 1/250th second exposure time and be done...but not for someone trying to capture long exposures, the wind is destructive and makes taking long exposures virtually impossible...windless nights and palm trees are a rarity, they seldom happen together...you see, the wind is always blowing and moving the palm trees...even the most calm breeze over the course of an eleven second exposure, (let alone a five minute long exposure!) would ever-so slightly create movement in the fronds of the palm, thus blurring them and not allowing them to stay sharp in focus over the course of the entire exposure time...
for this picture, and the picture preceding it in january, it all came together for me finally...a true rarity for my long exposure style, and something i am lucky to have captured with my camera...so much so, in the future i am going to have a third image in this series of "lovers" images all taken on this same evening...
"love, are you fleeing from love because of a single humiliation?
what do you know of love except the name?
love has a hundred forms of pride and disdain,
and is gained by a hundred means of persuasion.
since love is loyal, it purchases one who is loyal:
it has no interest in a disloyal companion.
the human being resembles a palm tree;
its root is a covenant with nature:
that root must be cherished with all one's might.
a weak covenant is a rotten root, without grace or fruit.
though the boughs and leaves of the date palm are green,
greenness brings no benefit if the root is corrupt.
if a branch is without green leaves, yet has a good root,
a hundred leaves will put forth their hands in the end" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
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