I love trees!

I love trees! I love everything about them. And, the varieties seem endless; fruit and seed bearing, soft and hardwood, deciduous or not… the list goes on. As a boy I climbed them, as a young man I made things out of them, I’ve picked their fruit, and I’ve been warmed by their logs in a fireplace. So, how could I not love trees.

I also love their architecture. Some are symmetrical, but most I see are not. Sycamores have become one of my favorites. These giants of the lowland forest can have leaves larger than a dinner plate and grow to over 100 feet tall. And, the white under bark glistens as the tree begins to mature as shown below.

I’ve photographed a number of trees, but not as many as I’d like. I’m going to change that. But, it’s not as easy as it looks. Attention must be given to abstract a composition from the “noise” of the whole scene. Here I wanted to show the contrast and structure of the white-ish bark compared to the leaves and background cypress tree. Will this image hang in my gallery – no. But, I learn something new every time I go out and shoot them. So, I’ll continue to look for opportunities to capture these gifts from the Creator.

Everything I’ve written above makes sense to me from a natural or human perspective. However, maybe this is why I really love trees. From the first chapter to the very last, trees have always been integral in God’s story. He creates with a perfect purpose in mind. And, His creation of trees is no different. From the tree that bore the weight of the crucified Messiah to the Tree of Life that stands in the garden, trees are a gift to you and me.

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.” Genesis 1

The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. Revelation 22