The Photography Of Trees
I photograph trees because I love what they mean, in and of themselves, and to me
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This week, I thought I’d share some reflections on trees, along with a selection of the many photographs I’ve taken of them over the years. Trees have always been special for me, and I feel privileged to live in a rural part of the country where they still flourish.
That said, over the past several decades, we’ve seen (in common with many other areas) the disappearance of many hedgerows and scrublands — natural habitats that once supported diverse tree growth. This loss has largely been a consequence of the mechanisation and intensification of arable farming.
Tree populations have also suffered from devastating diseases. Dutch elm disease decimated much of the UK’s mature elm stock in the latter half of the twentieth century, while ash dieback has severely affected the ash population in more recent years.
Trees in Norfolk
Nevertheless trees continue to do what they do, they remain. And Norfolk is fortunate to retain some remnants of Britain’s original ancient woodland, the most notable of which is probably Foxley Wood.
Norfolk can also claim two of the fifty strong List of Great British Trees selected by The Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in the United Kingdom in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. These are Kett’s Oak near Hethersett and the Chedgrave Jubilee Oak. And who knew that (probably) the smallest nature reserve in the country is also in Norfolk, at the site of the ancient - possibly thirteenth century - Hethel Old Thorn?
I’m inserting a shameless plug here (sorry), but photographs of both Kett’s Oak and Hethel Old Thorn feature in my 2024 book, Let The Wildness Be Left. Just so you know!
Trees as metaphors for human life
But over and above their history and innate beauty, trees for me have many other meanings too, which you might call metaphorical. I love them because their life is lived at a different speed to ours, but at the same time echoes ours. There is birth, vitality, maturity, aging and ultimately death (or maybe rest is a better word for a tree). And they are grounded (quite literally) which is something we all aspire to, I think - I certainly do!
It’s also possible to see a tree’s growth from seed to their full grown (sometimes towering) forms as symbolic of our own (and human) development, learning, and transformation.
And how about the strength and stability of trees which can withstand even the strongest storms? I find it a genuinely encouraging symbol of our own adaptability and strength to combat the many challenges we all face in our lives. The renewal we see every year in the shedding and regrowth of a tree’s leaves, almost a sort of rebirth, can also be a potent boost for us at times.
Consider also our lineage, our family. In its breadth and extent it is very often likened to a tree; the growth and spread of the branches being a visual metaphor for the different generations and connections between past, present and future within our own families.
Trees in myth
Trees are also redolent of myth and story. Think of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (a symbol of man’s transition from innocence to ‘knowledge’) and the Tree of Life (a symbol of hope representing God’s provision and promise of eternal life), both present in the Garden of Eden, a foundational story within both Judaism and Christianity.
Trees feature in many other world religions too including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. They’re also present in Ancient Egyptian mythology, Celtic traditions and within many indigenous cultures worldwide. The interpretations of the ‘tree of life’ vary, but they consistently embody themes of life, growth, wisdom, and connection between different realms.
Think of Yggdrasil in Norse myth - a massive and sacred ash tree, acting as the central world tree (axis mundi, the world axis) that connected the nine Norse realms or worlds. Trees in myth can be seen as connectors between heaven, earth and the underworld; they speak of the commonality and interconnectedness of all living things.
Think also of wishing trees. And trees which are sites of pilgrimage, ritual ambulation, and the recital of prayers. Wreaths, ribbons or rags are suspended from trees to win favour for sick humans or livestock, or merely for good luck.
Strength, resilience, protection, comfort, generosity, abundance, refuge, nurture, spirituality, productivity: these are just some of the aspects of what trees mean to us.
Trees and the climate crisis
And on a practical level they are of course vital in our fight to combat humanity’s self-induced climate crisis. Their capacity for being able to store carbon dioxide is and will be crucial to our planetary survival.
Additionally, research is beginning to show that the millions of years old mycorrhizal fungi networks (the so-called ‘wood wide web’) beneath every forest and wood - a complex underground web of roots, fungi and bacteria helping to connect trees and plants to one another - might also play a vital role in helping us to manage the effects of climate change.
The Book of Revelation in the Bible describes a scene in the New Jerusalem where the river of the water of life flows down the middle of the city's main street, and on either side of the river stands the Tree of Life:
“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”. (Revelation 2:22)
“The leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations”… I really love that, and cannot think of any better way to express how deeply we depend on, cherish, and are called to protect our trees.
Photographs
And so to some photographs. These, as I say, are just a few of the many I’ve taken over the years…
So that’s what I’ve been thinking about this week, in photos. As always, thank you for stopping by and I hope you have enjoyed the photos and my thoughts. Any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, take care and God bless,
Keith
I really enjoy your musings. I too love trees.