This tree really caught my eye. Driving back home I noticed it from the car. That internal voice ‘Get the shot’ wouldn’t stop nagging, so even though I thought I was finished up for the day I pulled over to take a look. It wasn’t until I looked through a long lens that I realised the lines at the base of the tree were not roots, but broken branches, no doubt following a recent storm.
At the time I didn’t think too much more of it, however once I saw it on my computer screen later the image really jumped out at me. For me, there is a certain poetry to the scene. The broken tree brings with it a somber mood, of violence and destruction, yet the tree still stands. Also, the younger tree which stands next to it, seemingly unscathed, seems to tell a story of the passage of time, and questions as to whether one day it will meet the same fate. I’m still undecided whether the mood created is somber, or of a calm resilience…? What do you think?
Photography is, of course, very subjective.
Personally, I feel this is one of the most successful images I have taken, given that it brings with it such a strong story.