Night tree

Night tree. 2019.

This tree at Dog Rocks feels less like part of a paddock and more like a character on a stage. A long exposure and a narrow beam of light pull it out of the darkness, turning the twisted trunk silver and the leaves into a thick green canopy floating above the grass. Behind it, the sky falls away into deep purple and rust coloured glow, a mix of distant town light and low cloud. The rocks scattered at its feet and the empty space around it add to the sense that the tree has been standing here for a long time, enduring weather, wind and whatever passes through. The photograph is part portrait and part performance, holding a single living shape in the middle of a quiet, night lit field.

24 mm • f/5.6 • 30 sec • ISO 64