Life with Dylan

Category: trees

  • When a camera lens meets a tree, the result is magical

    I recently spent several hours, ok maybe an entire day, clearing out all 2,000 plus pictures from my iPhone and putting them on Flickr for storage. As daunting as this task was, it was also a wonderful trip down memory lane. Some pictures made me happy and and others made me long for days gone by and friends that are no longer with us.

    One thing that I noticed was how much I love pictures of trees. Why did I stop taking pictures of trees? I need to take more tree pictures. There is something about capturing a tree that is so magical.

    Changing seasons against the fall sky at sunset 
    Things are looking up – Springtime is here 
    Greeting the day with a beautiful sunrise  

    The barren trees of winter
    and the magical tree that comes to life at sunset

    The time of year does not matter. Winter, spring, summer, or fall. What matters is that your camera lens takes the time to meet a tree. To capture the beauty of a tree and to watch the magic come to life when the two become one.

  • The simple beauty of a tree in winter

    I will admit that I have become a little obsessed with trees lately. Something about the cool crisp air we have been having and the bare trees takes my breath away. Good thing I always have my phone with me to capture these moments.

    Crisp afternoon skies
    And then there are those times when I just have to pull over – even if it means I will be a few minutes late to work. 
    Silhouette sunrise 

  • A tree is just a tree … Or is it?

    Lately I have been fascinated with trees. All kinds of trees, but mostly tall ones with intertwining branches. Something about looking up at a tree and seeing the light come through the branches – it makes me wonder. Is it just a tree?

    I probably photographed over 30 trees last weekend while visiting a local park. I couldn’t help myself. Each tree was different and the sunlight was casting shadows through the branches in such a beautiful way.

    As I was photographing the trees, my son and I had a wonderful conversation about the trees. We didn’t talk about what kind of trees they were, but rather what they trees would say if they could talk.

    How old is the tree? How long has it been here?

    I wonder if there are initials carved someplace in the tree, or if it is a climbing tree for an adventurous child? How many branches has the tree lost in heavy winds or rain storms?

    Do the old bending branches hurt the tree? Is the tree sad when nobody stops to sit underneath it?

    Do trees live in families like these that we found all grouped together?

    These may seem like silly questions to you, but for my son and I these are questions that will keep a conversation going for hours. Why? Simple – we love animals and what would the animal kingdom be without a tree to call home?

    This is a picture of “Nutty” – he’s the resident squirrel that lives in the big pine tree outside our home. He has breakfast with us almost every morning. So you see, a tree isn’t just a tree – it’s a home, a source of food for some, and a place to eat your food too.

    Have you ever wondered if a tree is just a tree?