Trees on White

[Matt Tilghman]

Hey guys, here is something new for me.

As primarily a landscape photographer, there have been plenty of times where I was painstakingly isolating trees and leaves to try and get my blending to look more natural. Since I found it incredibly annoying, what did I decide to do? I decided to make a whole series out of doing just that!

Just kidding, of course... that's not the reason I'm doing it (and let's be real, isolating the trees onto a white background is FAR easier than doing it over a detailed background and trying to match the hues/brightness). No, I'm just doing this because I've really gotten into trees lately. I find them so cool, and am so attracted to their bark, trunk shapes, branching structure, leaf patterns, etc... just pretty much everything about them. So I decided it would be fun to take some pictures of some specimens I find especially cool, and highlight them as the sole stars of the photos, trying to call attention to the specific aspects I'm drawn to. Anyways, I've been having a lot of fun so far, and hope y'all enjoy too! Hopefully they aren't too big, I wanted to emphasize the details.


Albizia niopoides and Epiphyte
This entry features a large Albizia niopoides, a tropical tree whose strong branches are reminiscent of lean human muscle, with an epiphyte growing at its crotch. I find this particular one to look somewhat like a human figure, almost in a sensual way.


Ceiba speciosa
This one is a Ceiba speciosa, or the silk floss tree. The silk floss tree is native to tropical environments which receive sunlight year-round, yet is deciduous. To help compensate for this competitive disadvantage, the bark of its trunk contains chlorophyll, so it can photosynthesize after it has dropped its leaves. Eventually, once the tree is old and established, the trunk loses its chlorophyll.


Triplaris cumingiana
Meet Triplaris cumingiana, also known as the ant tree. It is called the ant tree because in parts of its native range, there is a species of ant which commonly inhabits its branches, protecting the tree from herbivores. The flowers are exquisite, but I find the trunk equally beautiful. The tree sometimes developes small but lovely buttresses, like those pictured here. The bark is prone to peeling, leaving the trunk splotchy and marbled.