On one hand I would be lying if I said that the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t be good enough if I said that “The Japanese Maple tree, at the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon, is one of the most magnificent and inspiring trees I have ever seen”.
To be honest, when my eyes first meet with this beautiful tree from the outside I was almost disappointed. I had high expectations and hoped to capture it in ways other photographers did not.
Only when I set down, facing the Japanese Maple, I witnessed what I was hoping for. A magnificent contrast that separated the tree from the earth beneath and the sky above as if it was hovering in a spiritual realm, growing eternally.
Greater photographers before me have photographed this beautiful bonsai which made my task extremely challenging, and the only thing that helped me stand out was answering one question: “What inspires me the most?”
That question, believe it or not, made my creativity burst. I found myself laying on the muddy ground in the rain, kneeling in front of the tree until it hurt, shooting at different focal lengths and focusing on parts that most people take for granted.
When I saw that moment (Ancient Veins) I knew that my mission was accomplished. I knew that it would be a black and white photo because the colors didn’t matter. The posture of the tree and the way it spread its branches and leaves in my frame made me wander how generations before me saw it and how generations after me will see it.
Just like the veins that stretch through every inch in our bodies, this Japanese Maple tree stretches through ancient times, growing slowly. Forever.
