Perspective (Building an Image)

Now that crops are being removed from area fields, wide open views have returned. Included in such scenes are lone trees in a smattering of fields.

For me it is easy to put emotions into the trees. What storms -natural or world - have the trees endured? What environmental conditions have the lone trees weathered? Have the trees even survived unscathed or have the effects of harsh conditions become visible. Sadly, have some of my old lone tree friends succumbed to conditions and fallen to the ground to be forgotten forever?

This morning I became reacquainted with an old friend. Unlike other visits, this time the sky was dark and moody, the corn had been picked but the ground had not been tilled, and the view seemed desolate. The scene in front of me reminded me of an image I saw long ago, maybe in National Geographic magazine, of a single tree growing in a desert environment where water was available. By squinting the colors and composition were eerily similar.

I photographed the scene in two versions. The first view featured the tree up close and personal - as if a connection existed.

Looking at my picture on the back of my Nikon made it clear that a different perspective was needed - something that really illustrated the loneliness of the tree out in a field. I needed more space to convey the vision in my head (and maybe to more closely match that old magazine photo I remembered).

Even with the tree occupying a much smaller portion of the image and wide open space dominating, the final view did not quite say “isolated” or “weathering the storms” as I intended. The color element in the photo added a degree of warmth - just the opposite of what was needed. It was time to remove the color and let the content of the scene deliver the message.

My hope is by this time next year I will again be able to photograph this lone tree. May our upcoming winter treat this creation well.