Returning to the embrace of autumn, we encounter one of the ancient guardians of the Sierra de Urbasa—a towering giant that seems to hold the wisdom of centuries within its gnarled trunk and endless branches. Photographing forests has always been a challenge, with their intricate branches of chaos, but this past autumn’s trip to the forests of Euskadi and Navarra gave me the opportunity to find order amidst that chaos. It’s a process of discovery: searching for balance and ensuring the subject stands tall against its surroundings.
This colossal tree, with branches reaching skyward as if whispering to the heavens, immediately reminded me of Barbol, the eldest of the Ents from Tolkien’s world—an ancient shepherd of the forest, silently watching over the land for ages untold. Its roots twist and intertwine with the karstic rocks of the forest floor, forming a perfect symbiosis between tree and earth, a harmonious dance of nature’s architecture.