This tree had to be photographed from a creek with alligators and water moccasins. It was my first time in a situation like this. I was alone at the time, wondering what lay in wait beneath me.

The day before, I had met a woman coming out of the creek and asking whether there were gators there. She said yes; she had seen one that morning.

I moved around a bit, praying that I could get a good shot and that any precarious interference would wait until I left because it was such an exquisite morning.

As the sun began to rise, the crickets and the birds began their morning rituals. Other than that, the quietude was magnificent. I held my tripod steady so that if I moved even a bit, the motion in the water would not disturb my image.