I have hiked past this spot several times on my way to someplace else, always thinking that I would like to stop and make a photograph of this tree clinging to life over this perilous perch. But I had never stopped to figure the composition out. Last year, in late fall, I did stop. What made the image tricky to get is that it needed a fairly long lens to frame it like I wanted to, more throw that any of my Large Format lenses have, so I relegated it to dreams and wishes. The next thing was that the canyon here is fairly dark so an exposure of several seconds was indicated, even at a higher ASA than I like to use, and then the only view point where this is even possible is on a bridge over the river, so any footsteps on the bridge would conspire to degrade image sharpness, and the breeze generated by the constantly moving water meant that the needles on the pine tree would be moving quite a bit of the time. I did several images, and in one of them the pine needles on the tree are sharp with almost no movement. I used a Canon 6D camera with a Canon 70-200L lens. All conversion was done using Photoshop only. No apps were injured in the creation of this image.
Glad you decided to stop. There have been a number that I have photographed that are now gone.
Did you see the post where two idiots in the UK cut down the Sycamore Gap tree near Hadrians's wall?
I did see that. What knuckleheads! I could use much stronger language, but it serves no purpose. Did they catch them?
This type of foolishness is the reason I seldom reveal locations. Sometimes the location is obvious. But there's no reason to expose delicate and beautiful places to the antics of idiots.
Yes, they caught them. They recorded themselves and left a slab of the tree and chainsaw in back of truck. Scholar’s they were not.
Of course if they had been scholars the act wouldn't have been done. Probably over privileged dullards that want to be influencers on the interweb. Which in my own estimation is a very low bar to go for. A penalty for the act is hard for me decide on. No penalty will restore the tree. Maybe the damage to Hadrians Wall could be compensated. And for sure they should have to pay for the removal of the tree they killed. Maybe they should be made to do hard labor themselves, and by them selves, with no power equipment like chain saws to remove the remains and they will remain incarcerated till the debris is removed + some prison time after that. And made to wear shirts emblazoned with the label, "I am an idiot".