Somerset Skyline

I've been trying to photograph trees for a while now, with little success. This is frustrating because I find trees to be the most sculptural elements in the landscape. However, this continued failure may result from the very strong sense that I have of the image that I want to make, and it's entirely possible that the reality of such an image is less prepossessing than I imagine. In fact, the evidence is starting to point in that direction.

So, what is this image that I'm trying to make? Well, I think that the best way to to describe it is to outline the rules that it has to conform to.

Firstly, the photograph must be of trees on the horizon, with only sky for background. In Somerset, this is harder than it sounds. When I first started trying to make landscape images, I was obsessed with removing every sign of human habitation and it was only at that point that I realised just how cluttered the skyline round here is. Currently, there's a local pressure group campaigning against the building of new electricity pylons on aesthetic grounds. They obviously haven't spent much time trying to find somewhere were you can't see the existing ones.

Secondly, whilst the tree can be - slightly - in front of the horizon, it mustn't be behind it i.e. the while tree, from base to top, must be visible and form part of the image.

Another consideration is that bare branches look better than ones with foliage, so the image has to be made during winter, or the tree needs to be dead. A late Spring helps, also.


The image above was made a couple of weeks ago. I'd spotted this pair of trees on my way to work, passing over the Mendips, so one morning I stopped. In retrospect, I should have left it until the afternoon as I don't like the backlighting - I'd prefer more detail in the subject and foreground. Still, this is the best that I've managed so far and it will have to do for now. I expect that I'll return to the subject at some point in the near future.