This particular project came about after I had just watched Tim Burton's film "Sleepy Hollow". I was really impressed with the dark brooding sets, the trees in the woods.
As such I have always being a lover of the countryside rather than the city. And obviously like many other people I fully understand and appreciate the vital role that trees play within the environment. However I feel that we do not treat them with the respect that they deserve. We seem to be hell bent on obliterating trees from the landscape.
Trees give you shelter, furniture, tools, medicines, food, heat, fuel and many other vital items. The English long bowmen would have being lost without the Yew and Willow trees. Trees play a vital role in absorbing noxious gasses, they are the lungs of this planet. Instead of cutting them down, we should in my opinion be planting millions, and taking greater care of all the old and established trees and woodland.
Hence this project which seeks to portray trees in a positive light by showing their natural beauty, presence and role within both the urban and rural landscape. It has proved to be one hell of a project to embark upon mainly because it is such a huge project to undertake. The scope and scale is mind-blowing. That is why it is an on-going project which will keep me occupied for a while, or at least until I am satisfied that I have done the subject justice.
There is so much to photograph, and many established woods and forests to visit within this country. To date I have visited and taken photographs for this project at the following locations:
The New Forest, Sherwood Forest, Millington Woods, Broughton Woods, Dalby Forest, Kielder Forest, Bardney Limewoods and many other locations in Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Derbyshire, East, West and North Yorkshire etc.
Right from the outset I decided to use just monochrome film and to photograph both in daylight and after dusk. Some of the images from this project appear on this blog. To date this project has being very enjoyable and I have learned a great deal through my research into the history, folklore and geography of trees.
Now I should not imagine that this piece of garden furniture has washed up here. This discarded item sits in front of a collection of concrete "tank blocks" from the Second World War era, that now form part of the sea wall defences against the North Sea.
The shadows of various trees are cast onto a footpath.
Just after some rain on a winter evening, the traffic lights are reflected in a puddle on the pavement, along with the wheel of a bicycle.
A wild young common seal. An experimental image in the sense that the print was briefly exposed to white light i.e. solarisation (in the darkroom) then developed, stopped and fixed not quite as normal though. I then increased the contrast when scanning the print. But it looks okay to me. None of the seals were disturbed by me, during the photography.
This young dog is recovering from a canine virus, in the Recovery Kennels of the Hull branch of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).
Another early winter's evening shot, of the area near to the pier (between the River Humber and the Marina).
A different perspective on the old former Bus Station (now replaced by the new Interchange).
The late autumnal afternoon sunshine creates shadows from a plastic fence line and casts these shadows onto the beach in this sepia toned print.
Traffic light trails and street lighting illuminates two well established and mature London Plane trees at rush hour.
The Marina end of Humber Street on a damp and cold early winter's evening.
British World War Two Veteran Ben Bainbridge poses for my camera in the front room of his house. Ben was a Sergeant in the RAF Regiment.
This well established and well-known automotive giant's logo is reflected in the paint work of this car in the showroom.
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