Washburn Trail, Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, CA, 3/14/2008
In this part of California the sky is almost always completely clear or completely cloudy; afternoons with a nice mix of clouds as seen here are unusual. I had photographed this graceful oak on several earlier occasions. It is next to the Washburn Trail in Joseph D. Grant County Park, just east of San Jose, CA. I like the way the tree is situated on a grassy hill with sweeping views into Halls Valley. On this late winter day the clouds were stormy, and I was fortunate to capture this moment when the sun spotlighted the tree and several other similar trees in the distance in a chiaroscuro surrealistic manner. I used a 47mm Schneider Super-Angulon XL lens, which is the widest rectilinear lens made for a 4x5 view camera like mine. Thanks to the extraordinary lens, this picture enjoys a 120 degree field of view! The landscape in 9,560 acre Grant Park is characteristic of the east foothills of Santa Clara Valley with grasslands and majestic oak trees.
