It's not that often that you'll find a tree with with the top half of the trunk deadwood. When you do, and in the right hands, the result can be striking. This one is a Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) that belongs to Ryan Neil (Bonsai Mirai). All the photos in this post are from Ryan's facebook.

One of the things I like about Ryan’s photos are his close-ups (see below). It doesn’t hurt that his trees are phenomenal and so well photographed in the first place. But then to show such vivid close-ups invites you in further. Like you are there in the studio.

Here's Ryan's caption: Sub alpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa collected in the Washington Cascades. The dead top and contorted branches tell of the rugged alpine environment.

Ryan's caption: Colorado Blue Spruce. Picea pungens. Collected from the Rocky Mountains. This tree is nostalgic for me, having grown up in Colorado. Spruce are part of the landscape of my childhood.

A different kind of close-up. Ryan's caption: Bon-sai means "tree in tray" in Japanese. The container is just as vital to a composition as the tree itself. When a tree and container are well-matched, the union is transformative, as with this pot by Austrian ceramicist Horst Heinzlreiter and its Colorado Blue Spruce.