The first time I took a portrait of a bald cypress in all its fall glory in the Carolina Bay, it took my breath away – and I didn’t even know its name. Since then, bald cypresses have been some of my favorite trees to photograph. They are one of the few conifers (cone-bearing trees) that have their needles change color, fall off and grow a new set in spring.

A Little About Carolina Bays: I drive by this place every day on my way to and from work. This is a small space of only about 15 acres, and a small body of water, which has allowed me to really explore it. Not a bay in the usual sense, Carolina Bays are oval or roughly circular depressions that are common in the lower elevations throughout the Southeast United States. Their origins are uncertain; meteorite impacts, former tidepools, and a variety of other geological phenomena have been suggested. They tend to collect water and often develop communities of plants and animals that are not typical of the surrounding area. (In other words, they are unique and cool!)