Two views of a tree growing in a cliff: 2003 and 2013

Above are photos taken almost exactly a decade apart from a roadside pullout in the Sequoia National Forest. The top one was taken on Memorial Day of this year; the bottom was shot by yours truly in mid-May 2003 by my partner Julie. 

The top photo was was shot in RAW with a 16-megapixel Nikon D5100 and processed in Adobe Lightroom 4. The bottom photo was taken with a 2-megapixelCanon PowerShot A40 and tweaked slightly in iPhoto. 

And guess what? The bottom photo is a much better photo. It has better weather, better light and a wider view that better tells the story of this tree's unlikely location. I, on the other hand, tossed a 70-300mm telephoto lens on my camera and zoomed in -- and, as a result, lost the context. I also shot the photo at mid-day when the light was blah. 

Moral of the story: In this case, timing and a good eye by Julie mattered a lot more than megapixels, a big lens and a modern camera. 

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--S.H.

This photo is ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without advanced written permission. All rights reserved.