Celebrated Photographer Captures a Redwood as Never Before

Save the Redwoods League contributed to an unprecedented redwoods study featured in the October 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine. Helping to tell the story are stunning photos by pioneering natural history photographer Michael (Nick) Nichols, whom Paris Match dubbed the “Indiana Jones of Photography.”

Nichols earned this moniker in part by spending two years documenting conservationist Mike Fay’s Megatransect expedition, in which Fay crossed 2,000 miles on foot from Congo’s deepest rain forest to the Atlantic coast of Gabon, studying Africa’s last great wilderness. Fay and Nichols are longtime collaborators.

This time, the October 2009 issue of National Geographic spotlights Fay’s and Nichols’ work in the redwoods to ignite a dialogue about the best ways to manage these precious natural resources.

Nichols produced the first-ever high-definition, seamless composite photograph of an entire redwood tree, part of which is shown on the October 2009 cover, and which can be seen in its entirety in the issue as a 5-panel tear-out gatefold.  Two-foot-by-6-foot art-quality prints of the photograph are available to order at www.PrintsNGS.com.

“This tree may be the most complex architectural tree on Earth,” Nichols said. “It’s 300 feet tall and between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. The photo was created with 84 very high-resolution images, taken at approximately 3-foot intervals from a vertical dolly rigged parallel to the tree. Stitching them together allowed us to create a portrait unwarped by perspective, which offers a view of the entire tree with amazing clarity from base to crown.”

Nichols spent a year on assignment in the redwoods for National Geographic.

“Clearly this is a special place on this Earth, and one I’m proud National Geographic has played a historic role in preserving,” Nichols said, reflecting on his experiences in the redwoods. “My kudos to Save the Redwoods League for taking action for nearly 100 years, or we would have nothing left.”

Nick Nichols’ Tips for Photographing Redwoods

• Use a tripod to stop the camera from shaking and resulting in blurry photos in the dim forest.
• Shoot on overcast and foggy days for even lighting and an air of mystery. Carry a golf umbrella to keep water off your camera.
• Patience is the key—the light in the redwoods is constantly changing.
• Come to the redwoods after a storm or during the fog and experience real magic.

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