“The Forest” is my idea of a typical young Canadian west coast temperate rain forest. Having grown up on the west coast and often finding my way into forests both on the mainland and on the islands, I find this image to be very comforting. Despite the west coast being famous for its rainfall this image was taken during a particularly dry period in late summer.

In large format this image brings the viewer close to nature. While it is naturally peaceful you can’t help wonder if a bear, squirrel or other wildlife might be just out of view or behind a tree. Although it is a static image you can feel the life of the forest through it. What appear to be paths on the ground through the trees are actually the remains of fallen trees rotting into soil.

This image was created for limited production as a large format 2.1 meter (7 foot) wide art piece but can be produced in smaller custom sizes as well.

Behind the scenes…

I spent more than a year searching for the right location for this piece.  I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted but had a difficult time finding the right location.  Over the course of 15 months chasing this image I shot many locations resulting in images I was not happy with.  Once I came across this location near Whistler, BC, Canada I knew this was the location I had been looking for.  I shot it initially in the late afternoon and decided after viewing those shots I needed to shoot it again with different lighting.  I returned for a second dusk shooting and again I was not happy with the lighting.  So I returned at 5:30am the following morning and shot it in the early dawn light. The morning light and an HDR process allowed me to produce a well lit forest from front to back.