Oak.

[Ralph Turner]

A rather lovely old oak not far from us.

(Canon EOS 500N, 40MM F2.8 pancake, Kentmere 400, Caffenol Delta)

 

[Brian Moore]

Trees are beautiful things, and often most photogenic when they have shed their foliage. Nice one Ralph!

 

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks, Brian. Indeed, they are.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

My kind of tree, captured beautifully with a pancake! Well done, Ralph.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

I shot this this past November 18th. The tree is in Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge where I often go to shoot birds. There is a plaque which states the tree is 400 years old.

 

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks @Rob MacKillop. It's surprising how useful a pancake can be!

@Gary R. Smith that's one fantastic tree, an absolute beauty. Thanks for sharing. We've an ancient oak in our back garden. Not quite as old as that one, but we reckon it may well pre-date the Battle of Waterloo. I really ought to get a few more snaps of it.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

I always find it difficult to take photos of trees, and I am always dissatisfied with the result. I would like to shoot them in all their majesty, but they are usually too big, they are backlit, and the result does not do justice to the subject. Then I try to shoot details (the roots, the trunk, the branches, the leaves), but I am even more frustrated because I would like to reproduce the whole tree and portray the emotion it causes in me.
Do you have any advice for me on how to photograph a tree without taking anything away from it?

 

[Brian Moore]

I always find it difficult to take photos of trees, and I am always dissatisfied with the result. I would like to shoot them in all their majesty, but they are usually too big, they are backlit, and the result does not do justice to the subject. Then I try to shoot details (the roots, the trunk, the branches, the leaves), but I am even more frustrated because I would like to reproduce the whole tree and portray the emotion it causes in me.
Do you have any advice for me on how to photograph a tree without taking anything away from it?

I know your question wasn't for me, Gianluca, and I am not qualified to give advice on the subject so I won't, but whenever I see a tree isolated in the landscape I always want to photograph it.

 

[Ralph Turner]

I'm not really sure I'm any better qualified to answer the question, I'm afraid. I go with my gut, I suppose, trying to portray whatever it is that catches my imagination at the time. I'm not sure I can be any more precise without possibly trying to 'teach grandma to suck eggs' as it were, or maybe even sounding a tad weird..
I also find it quite a challenge to capture that particular 'something', as many misses as hits. Brian, I fully understand your itchy trigger finger when seeing lone trees, or maybe a small group. I'm the same. Sorry I'm not more help, Gianluca .
There"s a tree up the hill from us, a very old ash, now just a skeleton of it's former, living self. Despite it's demise many years ago it"s still a most imposing spectacle, dominating the scenery around. I've taken pics of it from various angles, tines of day, etc, even ynder moonlight, but I've yet to fully capture it's essence in a truly satisfying manner. Still, I intend to keep trying when I can. If you're interested I'll gather two or three views of it and post here .

 

[Gianluca Drago]

Thank you @Ralph Turner. Ash trees are spectacular, but I've never seen a dead one.

 

[Ralph Turner]

Ok. I'll look some piccies out and post them

 

[Ralph Turner]

Sadly, dead or dying ash trees here are becoming an ever more common site. There"s a beautiful ancient ash across the lane from us, still thriving. All fingers and toes crossed it remains that way..

 

[Gord Tomlin]

The UK is blessed with some really gnarly oak trees. We have different oak species here that like to grow pretty straight up...not nearly as photogenic. But they can still look pretty in the autumn in the fog...even this baby one

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

In Canberra, most of the older suburbs have avenues of trees planted down the roads, and there's some rather interesting trees, including several different kinds of oaks.
My dad has a booklet that was published by some organization (or maybe it was actually the local government...) with lists of all the species and the streets that they grow on.
It's fascinating in a way, as some thought was evidently put into it, over the years. They're still planting too, in the newer suburbs, although less as the shift towards higher density housing leaves a bit less room for trees.

These trees are a bit hard to photograph as they're all in rows, and there's messy things like houses everywhere but I might see if I can hunt out a few I did take...

 

[Ralph Turner]

We have different oak species here that like to grow pretty straight up...not nearly as photogenic. But they can still look pretty in the autumn in the fog...even this baby one

Indeed, very pretty, Gord. Is there any such thing as an ugly tree?

 

[Gord Tomlin]

Is there any such thing as an ugly tree?

The "ugliest" ones are the most interesting. They also look a lot better than we do after death.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

 

[Ralph Turner]

Enduring

Ancient sentinel, Great elder For so long you stand, A hundred years and on, Roots and rock as one. So many circles round the Sun, In your heart each ring, A cosmic journey mapped. So old, so gnarled, Yet each Spring comes life anew, Every bud a promise,

ralphyturner.substack.com

 

[Chris Bennett]

Sadly, dead or dying ash trees here are becoming an ever more common site. There"s a beautiful ancient ash across the lane from us, still thriving. All fingers and toes crossed it remains that way..

Sadly indeed.
Ash is going to all but disappear from the UK landscape. I have overseen a large scale (county sized) survey to determine the rate at which they have succumbed to infection from Ash Dieback disease and the result was well over 90%. Some are resistant but that figure is low.

You image in the OP is lovely Ralph.
So as to not sully your thread with one of my photos, I will start another to post an image of my favourite Oak.

 

[Ralph Turner]

Sadly indeed.
Ash is going to all but disappear from the UK landscape. I have overseen a large scale (county sized) survey to determine the rate at which they have succumbed to infection from Ash Dieback disease and the result was well over 90%. Some are resistant but that figure is low.