Without a doubt trees hold so much magic within the hearts of us all. When we think of trees, we can think of growth, hope, strength, renewal and so many other expletives that truly galvanize us as human beings. Not only do trees provide fresh air for us to breathe but they provide us with shelter, they provide a safe place to go when the weather is fierce and moreover that are simply incredible to sit back and admire against a striking landscape!
Trees are very easy to be led to within the realm of Photography, for all the reasons I mentioned above and so many more. Photographing trees truly is something of a sacred act, their aged and weathered trunks and majestic lines, trees have the ultimate aesthetic within Fine Art and within our minds eye to portray their story as artists. I can distinctly recall one tree in particular that drew me in the moment I saw it. Its heavily patinaed trunk, with rugged yet deep cracks running along its flanks, weathered from every direction with a million stories to tell from its over four thousand years of life here on this earth. I simply sat and marveled at its grandeur and truly mesmerizing and omnificent sense of being. This tree’s life had led me to think upon my own life, that I am here, present on this earth but for a moment, a century or less at best; yet here this tree stood for well beyond forty human lifetimes and still, only a blink in time. The equation of times measure cannot describe the stories within our own understanding of reality. We know that others came before us, we read of their stories, some shrouded in folklore and others documenting the very essence of our origins. We know that we will one day also become that of stories or even legend if we are lucky, however what does it all mean if for nothing at all?
I believe that trees are among the few sentient beings on earth here to tell us those fabled stories and we must listen to them for what they give to us. There is no world that I am interested in living in that doesn’t have trees upon its soils, encrusting the mountains and creating the very textures of life that I find so invigorating!
A few years back I was backpacking deep in the Pacific Northwest. I was casually making my way through some of the most incredibly gorgeous old growth forest I had ever seen on planet earth! After a few weeks, I was nearing the end of my trip when I decided to explore a small corner of an area where a fabled and sentient little being was told to live. Enchanting in every way and storied to survive out many years here, it quietly sat perched proudly and ever so magnificent in its short two-foot-tall stature. Behold a baby Douglass fir tree, it was no doubt small and if you were not looking, even easily missed. The special part about this little being is where it chose to live, certainly not deep within the forest. No, as a matter of fact this little tree had instead planted its roots deep within the pulp of an old and dead Douglass fir tree wedged up in the middle of a little lake! Simply one of the most fantastical things that I have ever witnessed in my life and no doubt one of the most miraculous feats of survival in nature. Here in the middle of nowhere is this perfect little tree, that looks much like a little banzai tree, sitting atop an old log in the middle of a lake. I was quite literally speechless to see this for myself in real life. No one knows exactly how long it has been there and we certainly have no idea as to how long it will continue to be there, however what I can say is that it has found a way, life has found a way. This little tree is a sentinel of hope and a reminder that no matter what the struggle is, no matter what the difficulty, there is always a way.
That is the beauty that I see within not only this life but in nature. There are boundless lessons to take part in and really learn from if we are quiet enough on our inside to listen for them. Tree Photography has truly given me so much to think upon and to share with you all. I have found them to be quite literally the magic elixir of life and one of the reasons why we see things like family the way we do now. You see, if we really put it into context, wood is among the rarest of anything in nature and by nature, think of the vastness of space! There isn’t a splinter of wood that grows in outer space, except for here on earth, where it grows for us and with us. I think we can all remember our first splinter as children, our Mother or Father telling us it would be alright as they eased it back out with a pair of tweezers. Likewise, how many of us sat next to a roaring campfire as young ones cooking hotdogs or making smores, laughing while looking up at the stars bundled up and listening to the crackles and pops from the fire as the embers floated off into the night air. No one could ever tell me that a fire would ever be the same without wood and no one could ever tell me that they’ve experienced a fire before unless they’ve been on a mountain in the freezing cold, to light up a few logs with a bundle of tinder and feel the warmth of life begin to take the bitter cold from your shivering body.
Trees are everything that represents hope and togetherness. Without trees, we are not the race that we think we are and life on earth as it is now would cease to exist. I find that the older I become, the wiser I become, and I believe it has all been for the better of myself and those around me. Watching my Son grow up, I am continuously telling him stories and showing him everything I am able about our natural earth and that of trees. He has become quite the little adventure buddy to me and honestly a best friend. This young man is far more advanced with his understanding of nature and his surroundings than I was when I was a boy. I am so fortunate to have found Landscape Photography and my love for trees and Tree Art because I believe it has truly enriched the way I go about living my life. I believe that each step we take allows us to appreciate what we have and the more we learn allows for us to garner a deeper understanding into the fabric of our own beings.
Trees represent so much more to me than simply a strong focal point, trees bring about everything that signifies life and truly everything that is good here on this earth. While I continue to search out the ones that lend themselves strongly to a great Tree Photograph, I will always love and admire them all. However, I do believe that there are a few more out there hiding from the prying eyes of the likes of me and I literally love the search for the next great Fine Artwork! Especially fall! I absolutely love the changing of the season that brings about a grand finale of colors as if to say, “don’t forget about us”! Fall is genuinely one of my favorite times of the year to go out and about to shoot beautiful landscapes, however fall is a time that tends to not really be about a single tree but rather many trees in a symphony of colors, my favorite being the rich reds. I often get lost wandering old dirt backroads looking for moments within the canopy which reveal subtle echoes of light!
Castaway By Marlon Holden Fine Art
Fall has a sensation if finality to it that tugs and pulls at us to look deeper into the mirror. The changing colors of the leaves brings about change not only within the land, but it is also a reminder that everything here on earth comes to an end before it eventually renews itself. It seems to me that the messaging between trees and time is one of reflection and I often find myself getting choked up at the brevity of life, simply fortunate enough to understand as much of it as I can while I am here and to hopefully share what I have witnessed in my time spent in nature with you all reading this now.
While I happen to talk much about what trees do to me and the symbolism behind them for all of us, I know that I am only scratching the surface as to why they are so important to us and so incredible to photograph. I think it is only natural to be drawn to them and I quietly smile inside when I see other photographers setting up next to them as the focal in their scene to be captured in that moment. I can only wonder if they also see trees in the way that I do or is there much more or is there nothing but a simple unknown connection that hasn’t yet been realized? I can only hope that others feel the way that I do about them and silently, I cannot help but think that they do. For whether it be known intentionally within or not, trees have been our protectors for as long as we have been alive on this earth. Whether it be the old wooden ships that carried us across great oceans or those log cabins that sheltered us in homes built to survive harsh winters, Trees are a breath of life in every way, they are our only real sentinel of strength and hope here on earth.