The Torrey Pines Portfolio

The Torrey Pine is thought to be the rarest pine tree in North America, growing only in the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego County and on Santa Rosa Island.  The Torrey Pines State Reserve lies within the city limits of San Diego, but this wild 2000-acre stretch of land feels untouched and raw. Growing on rugged coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with little rainfall and poor soil, the trees are sculpted by salt-laden ocean winds.

The photographs in this portfolio were taken in the reserve every day over a ninety-day period. What began as a daily meditation resulted in a collection of contemplative photographs that portray the inner silence, solitude and stillness that this rare landscape evokes. When one is in the midst of these pines, the city recedes into a memory.

What is heartbreaking however is that many of the older, taller trees shown in these photographs have since died due to climate change, most notably the long drought that California underwent and the subsequent beetle infestation. Even though there are actually hundreds more trees in the reserve now compared to a century ago, thanks to the custodial work of the Torrey Pines Foundation, it is hard to accept the tragedy of the loss of even one of these magnificent and extremely rare pine trees.