SHFT | A Year on the Road: 7 Years Later

A Year on the Road: 7 Years Later

Posted by Emily Caldwell on October 3, 2012 in Art

I stumbled upon a fallen redwood in Northern California along the Avenue of the Giants in 2005. I immediately fell in love with the grove, including what I have since called "my tree." I set everything up and took a self-portrait in black and white film. Every year and sometimes twice a year since, I have carefully picked my way through the Avenue of the Giants in the hope that I will recognize my grove again. Seven years since that first encounter, the photograph has remained as all I have had to remember it.

Heading south from Portland just this year, having given up the search after 15+ attempts, I decided to let the road lead the way. Within 15 minutes, I was sitting on that fallen tree and looking up into the canopy of my favorite grove once more. In the spirit of remembering, I took another self-portrait having no reference to the original but what I could recall.

The result turned out to be something quite remarkable...