Highway 20 Tree, Merriman, November 11, 2005

A lone tree near the entrance to Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area on Highway 20 near Merriman, Nebraska, November 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The turn toward Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area is just west of this tree, long since cut down. On several trips down Highway 20, I made it a point to stop and photograph the tree. On this particular day, the clouds created a great sky, and I decided a simple single-point perspective would showcase the scene. The tree adds a final element on top of the road, landscape, and sky, off center to throw in some tension to the composition.