Before and after Douglas fir

Starting with good material never hurts and this old Douglas fir has it in spades. The trunk is super strong with excellent taper, rough old bark and a little curl two thirds of the way up that adds interest. Then there's the tree's overall excellent flow and balance. Altogether a very good start
Continued below...

Before. This is already an exceptional tree

Continued from above...
Here's the challenge. In order to work with a tree like this, appreciation of what is already there and the vision and talent to enhance that are required. This is where an accomplished bonsai artist is needed. Otherwise, it might be best to leave it alone

Fortunately Todd Schlafer brought the necessary appreciation, vision and talent to the task. By eliminating excess foliage the age and power of the trunk is enhanced and by redesigning the branching, the overall flow and dynamism of the tree is also enhanced. Altogether a job well done

After. This is what you get when you combine an already great tree with a skillful human touch

Great movement doesn't hurt... 

 ... nor does ancient looking bark, something that only time can create

Here's you link to Todd's fb post for this tree