Is taking a picture of a single tree a requirement of being a photographer
Jun 6, 2020 15:57:29 #
I follow and watch a lot of photography videos and I am wondering a what point does taking a photo of an individual tree become a requirement. A lot of photographers seem to do this. It really hasn't appealed to me, is there something I am missing? They seem to go on and on about the composition and how beautiful the scene of the single tree is. I don't get it! What am I missing???
Jun 6, 2020 16:03:03 #
Can only speak for myself, but occasionally a particular tree has such a presence in its surroundings that it generates interest worthy of photo.
Jun 6, 2020 16:03:35 #
Well there is that famous photo of the Lone Cyprus along the California coast. <grin>
Jun 6, 2020 16:07:35 #
grandpaw wrote:
I follow and watch a lot of photography videos and I am wondering a what point does taking a photo of an individual tree become a requirement. A lot of photographers seem to do this. It really hasn't appealed to me, is there something I am missing? They seem to go on and on about the composition and how beautiful the scene of the single tree is. I don't get it! What am I missing???
Here is an example - scan from Tri X
Jun 6, 2020 16:09:06 #
Jeffrey Pine taken in 1940 comes to mind.
Michael Kenna has done some wonderful photos of trees, as well. Though I will opine that it is not a requirement.
--Bob
Michael Kenna has done some wonderful photos of trees, as well. Though I will opine that it is not a requirement.
--Bob
grandpaw wrote:
I follow and watch a lot of photography videos and I am wondering a what point does taking a photo of an individual tree become a requirement. A lot of photographers seem to do this. It really hasn't appealed to me, is there something I am missing? They seem to go on and on about the composition and how beautiful the scene of the single tree is. I don't get it! What am I missing???
Jun 6, 2020 16:14:22 #
Jun 6, 2020 16:20:24 #
grandpaw wrote:
I follow and watch a lot of photography videos and I am wondering a what point does taking a photo of an individual tree become a requirement. A lot of photographers seem to do this. It really hasn't appealed to me, is there something I am missing? They seem to go on and on about the composition and how beautiful the scene of the single tree is. I don't get it! What am I missing???
It is something you are missing, actually several things...
No requirement so... Why?
- Trees are symbols
- Trees loan themselves to incredible composition at times, light, position, intricacy of branches/foliage, name it.
- Lone trees sometime stand out in the middle of nowhere in a plain.
- Certain type of trees are associated with cemeteries, memorials
Name it, it is likely there...
- Add fog in a forest of old gnarly trees and you have weird stuff coming out of legends...
Jun 6, 2020 16:21:46 #
Jun 6, 2020 16:26:20 #
Timmers
Loc: San Antonio Texas.
"Is taking a picture of a single tree a requirement of being a photographer?"
No, it is an indication that those involved are not to creative and need a crutch to try and discover creativity. Sad but true. There is a lot of this in all of the plastic disciplines.
But to stay on point, there was the Red Sofa project. A guy took the 'single tree' project and pumped steroids into it. Took it all over the world and photographed it. Sort of similar to the project "Running Fence' in Cali, but that had loads of intellectual heavy so it was considered super important.
Probably the best of all this types of projects was The Abducted Gnome started in England where a man and woman stole a garden gnome from someones front garden. They traveled over the world doing Polaroids of the Gnome, even threatened to kill the poor gnome with a big hand gun! After about a year they returned the gnome to his garden, a world traveled garden gnome! t became an international sensation, mostly because of being so anonymous and that it came across as so humerus. All was well until some local vandals destroyed the gnome, no one likes a hater and even Scotland Yard got involved, the idiots were prosecuted and jailed for their lack of humor!
Your not missing anything, what most of these projects lack is creativity and humor.
No, it is an indication that those involved are not to creative and need a crutch to try and discover creativity. Sad but true. There is a lot of this in all of the plastic disciplines.
But to stay on point, there was the Red Sofa project. A guy took the 'single tree' project and pumped steroids into it. Took it all over the world and photographed it. Sort of similar to the project "Running Fence' in Cali, but that had loads of intellectual heavy so it was considered super important.
Probably the best of all this types of projects was The Abducted Gnome started in England where a man and woman stole a garden gnome from someones front garden. They traveled over the world doing Polaroids of the Gnome, even threatened to kill the poor gnome with a big hand gun! After about a year they returned the gnome to his garden, a world traveled garden gnome! t became an international sensation, mostly because of being so anonymous and that it came across as so humerus. All was well until some local vandals destroyed the gnome, no one likes a hater and even Scotland Yard got involved, the idiots were prosecuted and jailed for their lack of humor!
Your not missing anything, what most of these projects lack is creativity and humor.
Jun 6, 2020 16:26:21 #
A lot of people don't get a lot of what other people's art or "art" is about. So what. Go take some pictures - or look at some pictures - of what you do like!
Is this pretty? I think it is 🤗
.
lone tree etc, on Flickr
Is this pretty? I think it is 🤗
.
lone tree etc, on Flickr
Jun 6, 2020 16:32:37 #
This was part of an exhibit I had, and it currently hangs in my bedroom.
Jun 6, 2020 16:49:24 #
grandpaw wrote:
I follow and watch a lot of photography videos and I am wondering a what point does taking a photo of an individual tree become a requirement. A lot of photographers seem to do this. It really hasn't appealed to me, is there something I am missing? They seem to go on and on about the composition and how beautiful the scene of the single tree is. I don't get it! What am I missing???
How about a photo of a single flower? I see lots of those. I have done many photos of both single trees and single flowers. I consider them portraits of a life form. Nobody complains about a photo of a single person. If you can't see the beauty of nature in a single tree, I feel sorry for you.
Jun 6, 2020 17:18:34 #
Maybe I can consider myself a photographer. I remember a picture I took while riding through one of the national parks in Utah a couple of years ago. This was taken from the passenger window while my good friend was showing my wife and I the parks. I not only has a tree in it, it also has kind of a patriotic red, white, and blue theme.
Jun 6, 2020 17:39:46 #
For some of us who live in the "Arid West" a single tree is as good as it gets--for miles. Sure, there are forests and groves of trees along rivers and streams, but with my Nevada, being almost as large as New England, there, as the Cattle ranchers say, places where there's a lot of steps between blades of grass." Or: "Whisky is for drinkin' and Water's for fightin'"
A single tree as the dominant form, proportionally placed against a wide horizon, can be the basis of a pleasing composition. The variety, and uniqueness of each tree makes each photo feel like the original that it is, despite the urge to classify such photos as cliche.
And to paraphrase a Movie Character: "Rules, we don't need no stinking RULES." Or from a recent Obituary: "Rather than working outside the box, he eschewed the existence of ANY boxes."
Photography is the medium of the photographer. Photograph ONLY trees. Never photograph a tree. It is up to you. That's the charm--embrace it!
A single tree as the dominant form, proportionally placed against a wide horizon, can be the basis of a pleasing composition. The variety, and uniqueness of each tree makes each photo feel like the original that it is, despite the urge to classify such photos as cliche.
And to paraphrase a Movie Character: "Rules, we don't need no stinking RULES." Or from a recent Obituary: "Rather than working outside the box, he eschewed the existence of ANY boxes."
Photography is the medium of the photographer. Photograph ONLY trees. Never photograph a tree. It is up to you. That's the charm--embrace it!
Jun 6, 2020 18:04:02 #
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