Trees and Trails at Lake Louisa State Park

That Is a Big Tree

Laura stops to admire an interesting live oak tree at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, Florida. We had gone there to do some exploring during our July 2017 Florida trip, and we enjoyed walking on the trails. Of course, we had to stop every now and then to see some of the cool trees that were there, too. We don’t usually set any speed walking records when we visit parks like this.

Laura would point out that I am usually the cause of our frequent stops. That is usually true because I do enjoy getting photos of interesting sights such as this tree and the trail that leads past it. We do not have trees like this at home, so I am fascinated to see them when we are there.

I wonder if people from other places take photos of the trees that we have at home as I do when I am in other places? I often take the trees that I see every day for granted, not thinking that others may not have trees like that where they live. To me, that is one of the many things that make the world a fascinating place, getting to see different trees, plants, and animals when you go to different places in the world. Pretty cool!

How Big?

This would have been a nice scene without any people in it. But I like it even better with Laura being there by the tree. For one thing, it gives an idea of the size of the tree. Without any people around, you would have a hard time telling just how bit that tree is. Trees are actually rather difficult to judge in size without some sort of reference point close by. But Laura helps to show its size.

Besides that, I also like how it reminds me that she was there with me. Not that there was any danger of my forgetting that in the first place. But it is still a good reminder of the good times that we had while we were there. And it makes me want to go on more adventures together, too.

If you are wondering, Lake Louisa itself is just out of the frame to the right in this photo. We were following the trail that goes along near the edge of the lake. And yes, we stopped for photos of the lake as well as of the trees. And by “we stopped” I mean that I stopped for the photos and Laura stopped because I stopped. Just to set the record straight.

See more from Lake Louisa and the other places we visited during this trip in the July 2017 Florida Trip archive.

Interesting Thought

If old trees could talk, just imagine the stories they could tell of all of the history they have seen.

Bible Verse

Let the fields and everything in them exult. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy - Psalm 96:12

About the Photo

This photo was another one of those dull grey photos thanks to the clouds that were out at the time. But thanks to some creative processing and some color saturation, the final version here looks a bit sunnier than it originally did. And it does look somewhat dreamlike in a way, too.

Also, close-up photos of trees like this (well, relatively close-up since I was not right at it) are better with a fisheye lens. Otherwise, you would either not get all of the tree in the frame or have to be quite far away. Wide-angle lenses definitely have their uses.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
Date: July 18, 2017
Location: Lake Louisa State Park, Florida