The Character of Trees series began with my long-standing fascination for silver birches in autumn. I spent time in woodlands and parklands seeking individual trees with a strong sense of presence or character. Initially photographing them conventionally, I soon began using multiple exposures, layering different elements, their brilliant colour, textured bark, and movement in the wind, to create images that express more of the tree’s being than a single shot could. While silver birches dominate the series, I was also drawn to poplars, oaks, and hazels. The project remains open, and I plan to revisit it in future autumns to explore further species.
The Character of Trees
This image focuses on the silver birch. Layered exposures capture both the ghostly whiteness of its bark and the brilliance of its golden leaves. Standing within a dark woodland, the tree takes on a luminous, almost magical presence, while the technique shifts the image beyond straightforward observation, seeking to evoke its atmosphere.
For Poplar, I built up layers of form and colour to reflect its distinctive qualities: the shimmering silver of the leaf undersides set against the brilliance of autumn gold above. The result conveys both the tree’s physical character and the fleeting light and movement that shape how I experience it, aiming to reveal its essence rather than simply record its appearance.
Here, an oak stands in the grip of winter, still holding its curled leaves, a quiet display of strength and resilience. Using multiple exposures, I traced the fine network of twigs and leaves, setting their delicate structure against the soft brightness of frost-laced grass. The layered image reflects my ongoing interest in how trees are shaped, physically and symbolically, by climate, season, and endurance.
These young birch trees caught my attention with their heart-shaped leaves, shimmering from green to orange as they danced in the breeze. Their slender, chalk-white trunks rise lightly above the intricate structure of ferns below, giving the scene a delicate, almost ethereal presence.