Star on the Tree

This massive tree, decorated stunningly with all-white lights is gracing the center of the downtown area of Greenville (SC) for the holiday season. The silhouettes of the people near the tree are wonderful, and I was so glad I could capture them in this shot!

I would like to know how tall this tree actually is! Based on the size of the silhouettes of the people, though, I would not be surprised if it was 30 feet (9 meters) or so in height! The beautiful star-burst at the top adds a very elegant touch to it!

It was fun to watch the people as they approached the tree and stood in quiet wonder at the size and the breathtaking light display. Talking was only done in hushed tones, making for a very peaceful experience here. That aspect surprised me quite a bit and made the time spent there very enjoyable.

The tree is very cleverly placed, too, I think, as it is extremely close to the city's Visitors' Center, a large hotel, several restaurants, and the temporary ice-skating rink that had been setup for the month. It is also situated in a very small plaza in front of a couple of buildings, so there is plenty of space for pedestrians to safely approach the tree. There are also some benches close-by, so visitors can just sit and bask in the lights, if they wish. I don't think a more perfect location could have been chosen.

As large as this tree is, I had to photograph it from a distance, of course. The first shot in this post was made across the street from the tree, and the second shot was made as I approached it from the sidewalk a half-block away. The photo to the right, without any of my 'artistic' processing, was taken a few yards/meters from the base of the tree. None of the photos capture how splendid it appeared in real-life, though!

And, because I know there are some 'purists' that might not like my artistic processing, here is the first photo in the post without any processing at all, straight out of my camera with no editing whatsoever (just resized from the 5312x2988 original):