Earlier this year I resolved to spend lots of time this summer photographing (and identifying) trees for my Instagram feed. (See A love of trees for more.)
Now, if you follow me on instagram you can’t fail to have been struck by a simple fact: you haven’t remotely been spammed with hundreds and hundreds of tree pictures.
Why not? It turns out it’s really tough to photograph a tree; decent camera on your phone or not.
Recently, I came across a wonderful South Korean photographer called Myoung Ho Lee who manages exactly what I couldn’t succeed in doing and I had to share these images with you.
He takes the most awe-inspiring photos, each tree with a simple white sheet hung behind it.
I never fail to be impressed by trees. Of course, flowers are really great too. They’re pretty and you can arrange them in a vase and suddenly even the dingiest most hovel-like room in your house is transformed into a place of beauty. But there’s something about the immense majesty of trees – their sturdy immovability, great age and refusal to be brought indoors – that makes them my plant of choice every time.
If ever I’m feeling glum, or bored, or just out-of-sorts for whatever reason, a short walk to the park and a stroll under the canopy of ancient trees always, but always, brings a spring back to my step.
I think that’s why I love these photos so very much. They seem to say: Here it is, just a tree, on a white background.
Who needs more than that?
All photographs copyright Myoung Ho Lee. See the website of the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York for more photos from the series.
Wolves in London 
Those must be some humongous sheets! What a great idea though, to showcase the trees in such a manner…
I feel exactly the same about trees, they’re wonderful, I’ve always loved them. I was looking at the one that overlooks my allotment today and watching a robin up there, singing his heart out, and looking at the miles and miles of brambles climbing up into the branches. And I was so glad that I had the plot with the tree by it. CJ xx
I am a tree lover too! These photos are stunning. Bee xx
This is fantastic! As you know I love trees. They are wonderful and I always walk past them and wonder how many years they’ve been there and how much change they must have witnessed over time. A bit kooky but hey. Great post. xD
Oh, me too! I started reading a book about the gingko tree, and the guy at the beginning talks about the trees he has known in the places he’s worked (he’s a horticulturalist, so the places include Kew etc) — I love that way of remembering important places in your life: by the amazing trees that were in them. xx
PS, it’s this book: Ginkgo: The tree that time forgot
That is so effective! Really inspiring stuff x