I love to write about trends that seem to go outside normal thinking. 
I read the book Art & Fear every time I get on an airplane for a photography trip. The biggest takeaway from the book is a college art professor divides the class in half and charges one half with making one supreme work of art in a given time frame. While the other half of the class is instructed to make as much art as they can in the same given timeframe. The time-frame ends and the work is evaluated, invariably over the years the best artwork comes from the class that is charged with making as much as possible, rather than one supreme piece of art !
When you consider that concept, Ansel Adams claimed to have made “possibly” 200 excellent images over the course of 60 years out of between 35,000 – 40,000 photographs he made. It’s clear that dynamic was in play. Not for a second am I suggesting my name belongs in the same sentence as Ansel Adams, I’m simply trying to illustrate, for as many times as I’ve gone out to make photographs and have never taken the camera out of the backpack, and other times possibly making only one image. Those trips and so-so images never get mentioned in a Back Story makes this particular Blog a bit more of a surprise. No one can accurately predict what can happen with light or the atmosphere, which leads directly into this month’s Story Behind Every Photograph. Without venturing out with the camera, no photograph can ever happen, like Wayne Gretzky’s terrific quote, “you miss 100% of the shots you never take”.
More specific to this Story, I have long wanted to photograph the huge Live Oak trees common to the extreme southern part of the United States. An August 2021 trip through Louisiana and Mississippi in search of these trees was derailed by Hurricane Ida as we traveled to our son’s new home in Texas. A return trip to Texas this past February found us routed back through Lake Charles, Louisiana looking for the Sallier Oak seen here. Three hours to the east is City Park in New Orleans, also home to dozens of these wonderful creatures. An image I made later that same day appears at the very end of this Story. 
Getting to Lake Charles we go over this bridge and I think if I can find a way underneath the support structure of the bridge could be quite interesting. I love metaphors, one of my Dad’s favorites was, Good Luck is at the intersection of Being Prepared and Opportunity. So, with an afternoon visit to the Sallier Oak I found homes and all sorts of distractions behind the actual tree, for me that would greatly diminish my interest in making a photograph of the enormity of this wonderful and rare tree.
As seen here in a cell phone shot of the tree I thought the only opportunity was a tight composition to eliminate as much of background distractions as possible.
Waking up before sunrise the next morning with plans to head to the Sallier Oak tree I can only wonder if my Dad had something to do with the Good Luck of a heavy thick morning fog! I made the above image of the Sallier Oak in the heavy fog that morning. For me, the fog obscuring the background allowed a wider view to accentuate the wonderful and irregular shapes of the tree limbs. 
This would ensure those viewing the image would travel around the shapes and textures of the image, which is always the goal of a photographer, keep the viewer involved in the image for as long as possible!! Coming away with two “keeper” images less than an hour apart is extremely rare in my experience. Add to this morning scenario, another book, the Net and the Butterfly I put a lot of value in. That book has helped me understand when the B&W process and setup of the camera is so second nature my mind can drift off to other thoughts and emotions. To have the idea that possibly my Dad was involved with the morning fog, is a reward without equal !! 
You captured that old mighty oak with reverence!
Thank you Tim, you always have inspiring comments about my photography !!
SS
Good luck, which is a determining factor, must be accompanied by a good dose of perseverance. Very good, both with excellent composition, I dare say they are in tune with fibonacci.
Thank you Ricardo for reaching out with kind words about the elements of this month’s Story, perseverance with type photography is a key element !!
SS
What a strong long living wonderful tree. I know for sure your Dad had a hand in that outcome. The roots travel deep and far as yours do. Probably why it’s so spectacular as always. In the long run you can always see what’s right side up,
💕
Thanks so much Darlene for understanding the dynamic between my Dad and the morning fog. It was a wonderful experience !!
SS
Love these back stories on your images. These are wonderful images and I love the quote from your dad, so true.
This blog post reminds me of a recent podcast from Brooke Jensen where he says the same thing about how you achieve excellence is through daily practice of your art. He cited Edward Weston’s Pepper #30 as an example. He actually took over 40 images of peppers but only one has become famous. He took a lot of pictures of other fruit and veggies we never hear about too
Thanks very much Michael, I have heard that EW did have quite a go around with a batch of Peppers, and settled on # 30. As luck would have it, I saw in person a “project” print that was made by EW’s son Brett, it is to this day, the single most beautiful Silver print I have ever seen in person, it seems almost alive and back lit from behind. Interestingly, because of economic hardships, grandson Kim told a story that EW only printed 6 Pepper # 30 in his lifetime. EW also felt Brett’s version was too contrasty, not from where I stood !!
I love trees, but love this particular tree even more after knowing a little history about it.
Thank you fo sharing Steve ♥️
Thanks for the kind words, I hope these monthly posts help you in your own journey with photography, it is a wonderful creative outlet.
SS
Steve, Very nice live oak images. If a future trip takes you along Georgia’s “Mid-Atlantic” Coast, check out the beautiful, spreading “Lovers Oak” at the corner of Albany & Prince Streets in a residential section of downtown Brunswick GA. It’s thought to be 800-900 years old. And then for more very large, spreading and several hundred year-old live oaks take US Hwy 17 about 15 miles north of Brunswick to the Hofwyl-Broadfield Planation Historic Site. I found both sites tripod and LF friendly, and foggy conditions are fairly common…
Hi John,
Thanks for checking out the Blog, as luck would have it, I am planning on driving down to my brother in south FLA for Thanksgiving. Along with the Congaree NP I will weave in a return trip to the Oaks you speak of in GA. Thanks for the heads up !!
SS