The Brompton Oak, a photo from Virginia, South

Photographer's Note

THE OLD OAK TREE

The first English settlement in America took place in Virginia exactly 410 years ago, in May of 1607. This White Oak tree, I am told is around 500 years old. Where it stands on Marye’s Heights in Fredericksburg, Virginia, it had been around for a hundred years when the English settlers first arrived. Then, at the mature age of 280, it witnessed the Revolutionary War that liberated the colonies from their British rulers. Indeed, the 'Father of Country,' George Washington, who grew up in Fredericksburg, would have seen the tree, having worked as a land surveyor in his younger days.

For an American town, Fredericksburg is extraordinarily historic. Just fifty miles south of Washington, DC, it is located at the center of a circle of 50-miles radius that produced four of the first five Presidents of the United States — Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. The state itself produced a total of 8 of the 45 Presidents that served the Nation, with Woodrow Wilson being the last. For the number of Presidents it produced, it holds an impressive record.

The old oak was around 360 years old when it witnessed the ‘Civil War.’ Indeed, on May 2nd of 1863 during the Battle of Fredericksburg of the Civil War, the famous pioneer photographer Mathew Brady photographed a group of Union (Northern) Army troops resting with their backs against the tree trunk, their rifles arranged in a tripod nearby. With the pioneer photographic technology extant at the time, the subjects had to remain still for the very slow exposure. Thus, hundreds of photographic plates exist from the battle, but none shot during the action. The Library of Congress and the National Archives make available approximately 1,000 photos from The American Civil War.

ikeharel, ChrisJ, macjake, pajaran, Tue, papagolf21, Fis2, snunney, holmertz, jhm, Royaldevon, jean113, cornejo, mcmtanyel, COSTANTINO, Cricri, swapankumarroy ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

emka (158204) 2017-04-05 23:33

Hello Bulent, Very interesting note about what historic events this oak witnessed. Magnificent old tree. We also have in Poland old oaks, the oldest is 670 years old, but the tradition says it is even 1200 years old. Kind regrads MAlgo

macjake (98518) 2017-04-05 23:36

Hi Bulent
now THAT's a tree!

wow! I took the time, about 10 min, to google Mathew Brady and his photographs. Have done that yet? I found a few Oak tree photos, but not sure if this is the exact same tree in the shots I found.

What I did find, was dozens and dozens of Civil War photos, most were quite gruesome with death and dying/dead soldiers on the field. Most interesting for sure, it was well worth the time to look him up.

As we all know, Icebergs are bigger underneath the water, same with trees and their roots. Imagine how wide spread the roots are with this tree! amazing history as you noted, great story, great subject in this photo. well done.
cheers
Craig

Tue (92560) 2017-04-06 0:40

Hello Bulent,
This is a really impressive tree, not only because of its size and its age, but mostly because of the history it has witnessed. You captured the tree very well in a wonderful warm sunlight.
Lars

papagolf21 (152607) 2017-04-06 0:41

Bonjour, cher ami Bulent,
Je reste coi devant ce chêne qui semble défier les siècles et des siècles.
Merci pour la note d'accompagnement et la beauté de cette composition.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Fis2 (170975) 2017-04-06 0:43

Witaj Bulent!
Amazing oak, makes impression.
Good frame and excellent light and colors.
Photo has climate.
Warm regards.
Krzysztof

dta (98848) 2017-04-06 0:56

Hello Bulent ,
An impressive old oak . Good idea to present it in winter with this attractive golden light .
Regards

snunney (130967) 2017-04-06 1:53

Hello Bulent,
Excellent capture of this venerable old tree. I like very much the warm lights and colours.

ChrisJ (171888) 2017-04-06 2:00

Hi Bulent

A lovely old oak tree exuding such majesty. Reasonable sharpness with excellent framing and composition. I like the interplay of shadow and sunlight. Tfs!

lousat (139400) 2017-04-06 2:06

Hi Bulent,this pic remember me very well the famous big oak of our friend Silvio,seem many times and in different seasons in his gallery. A beautiful capture of this big giant with perfect sharpness and warm colors,i like it! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

daddo (28748) 2017-04-06 3:32

Merhaba Bulent Bey. What hasn't the tree witnessed in terms of human folly? The civil war was a cruel and costly war where more men died from gangrene than the bullet. Great photo of this old timer with its tired arms. Regards. Klaudio.

npecanhuk (79329) 2017-04-06 4:03

Hi Bulent!
Wonderful old oak tree!
Beautiful and attractive picture!
Special regards to the exposure, colors and composition!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

holmertz (102866) 2017-04-06 4:15

Hello Bülent,
It's impossible not to feel a certain kind of respect for anything, alive in a sense, as old as this oak. In this case the note means as much as the photo. You had a lovely light here, although it falls mainly on the trees in the background. The photo is tightly cropped but it doesn't really heart the composition.
Kind regards,
Gert

jhm (211736) 2017-04-06 5:33

Dear Bulent,

The oak, the king of the best wood.
In park of my village we have almost the same, also a wonderful exemplar.
Pleasant panorama around the tree too.
A lovely composition an lovely presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Kindest regards,
John.

Sergiom (117241) 2017-04-06 6:00

Bonjour Bulent,

Ce qui fait la photo c'est la lumière orange qui se mêle aux branches de l'arbre comme une écharpe sous l'effet du vent. Superbe cadrage et très jolie toile d'araignée.

Amicalement

Serge

Silvio1953 (221813) 2017-04-06 7:08

Ciao Bulent, great view of fantastic oak with amazing branches,wonderful natural colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

ikeharel (113519) 2017-04-06 8:03

Awesome picture of the old oak tree, Bulent.
Those really saw history as stated.
Fine light management, golden shine wonderfully appearing as a backdrop's.
Good afternoon,
Ike

mayjayne (7204) 2017-04-06 8:53

Hi Bulent,

Magnificent tree; even more so with the history that surrounds it over time. I love the rich light that falls on some parts of the branches. What a lovely sight ! Also, thanks for the comprehensive note.

TFS,
May

jemaflor (147330) 2017-04-06 14:04

Hi Bulent,
Very impressive this tree, well presented, I like this warm light, well captured, tfs.

Royaldevon (85932) 2017-04-07 4:05

Hello Bulent,

I love winter trees and this is a magnificent example!
Not only is it beautifully placed in the frame but it is exhibiting golden tones from the effects of the sunlight.
The presence of the house informs the incredible size of this 'super tree'!

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

jean113 (27901) 2017-04-08 13:51

Hello Bulent, I love trees, especially like this, when we can see all their branches.This is such a fine example.
So large that you could not easily fit it into the frame!
The sunlight shining across it adds to its' beauty.
Very interesting notes, thank you.
Regards Jean.

rychem (72187) 2017-04-08 23:08

I love trees, and this here is a special specimen, wonderful old oak, it seems to be still healthy, great photo with beautiful warm light
regards Ryszard

Nicou (193806) 2017-04-09 1:24

Hello

les feuilles au sol la végétation droée en fond quelle vue quel arbre quelle ampleur et grandeur et ce dessin de branches qui se découpent sueprbe compo.
Bravoe t amitié
Nicou

cornejo (61504) 2017-04-11 11:12

Hello Bulen, very good photograph of this nice and interesting tree with history, very well captured in this interesting image, with good clarity, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly done, my congratulations my friend. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work.

Good afternoon and happy week.
Affectionate greetings from the south of Spain.
Angel.

mcmtanyel (68741) 2017-04-11 20:36

Selamlar Bülent Bey,
This is a very impressive oak tree. I like the late afternoon light on it.
Regards,
MT

COSTANTINO (116698) 2017-04-12 22:10

Hello dear Bulent and have a nice time
and a happy new day
thanks for sharing all your useful notes
about the old oak tree which is around
5oo years old and stands on Marye s Heights
in Fredericksburg
regards
Costantino

Cricri (176) 2017-04-19 10:08

Hi Bulent
Bel ampleur de ce vieux chêne, il est magnifique avec un bel effet de lumière chaude, très belle présentation et note
belle soirée
cricri

gervaso (28177) 2017-05-09 7:35

Hello, Bulent!

Beautiful capture of this tree, I like the framing with the branches all around, and it was captured with excellent light, which gives beautiful warm colors to the scene! Wonderful composition!

LuisGustavoLima (5184) 2017-06-23 8:04

Olá, Bulent!
Gostei de como a árvore preenche toda a foto! A nota completa perfeitamente a foto. Uma árvore de muita história! Parabéns!

kim_gwan (1142) 2017-07-15 21:47

Hi Prof Bulent,

That's a lovely Oak fully grown tree ^_^

Nice warm orange that give the details on the tree

Fantastic shot!

Ralf

swapankumarroy (3769) 2017-08-11 8:53

Hello Bulent,

You have beautifully captured this old oak tree, an excellent composition and good color contrast, I like its nice color effect throughout the frame, well done my friend, have a nice weekend.

my warm regards,

swapankumarroy