Time with an Elder

Time with an Elder is a black-and-white portrait series of a single Bristlecone Pine, an ancient tree standing alone in Colorado’s Mt. Evans Wilderness. Estimated to be over 1,500 years old, this twisted and wind-swept elder has endured the rise and fall of empires, relentless storms, and countless changing seasons. And yet, it still stands.

I discovered this tree on a quiet summer evening. The air was cold and the wind unrelenting, strong enough that I had to weigh down my tripod just to hold steady. As the sun broke through heavy clouds, it offered fleeting light that danced across the bark and branches. What emerged was a photographic experience as meditative as it was physical. I wasn’t just documenting a tree. I was spending time with it. Listening. Observing. Learning.

This tree felt alive with presence, rooted in the now, just as I was behind the lens. For a few hours, it was just the two of us: an ancient being and an artist, both standing still, doing what we were made to do. Time with an Elder is an invitation to reflect on what endures, what matters, and what quiet wisdom might be waiting for us if we slow down enough to notice.