“What appears to us as tenacity is often simply adaptation.” – Ed Lehming

This cottonwood tree, seemingly overwhelmed by the ever-shifting drifting sand, is not alone. These trees have adapted with a root system that allows for fluctuations in sand depth. I’ve seen the tree trunks several feet above the sand, as if the trees are on stilts, and one like this buried to an equal depth. The root wood adapts, becoming tougher and resembling inverted branches. The tree in this image is probably buried in about two to three feet of sand and may be quite exposed by next summer.

It’s interesting to observe this type of phenomenon; it’s all about nature’s amazing ability to adapt. Some species are more successful than others, and those are the flora and fauna of the dunes—the adapters, the survivors.

I had not noticed how deeply buried the tree was initially; I just saw an interesting composition. That is often the way of my photos. I see something subtle, something intangible, which often does not reveal itself until I spend more time with the image, and then it reveals itself and I understand. I believe that is the difference between a good composition and a snapshot: the ability to unconsciously distill details not immediately obvious.

Like the tree in the image, I’ve had to adapt some of my approaches to capture the subtleties of the dunes, which to many, especially at this time of year, would appear barren and lifeless.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 24-70 mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 45 mm
1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 400