Ancient Trees – Portraits of Time

If you love trees and beautiful photography, Ancient Trees – Portraits of Time by Beth Moon is the book for you (Abbeville Press Publishers. New York and London, 2014). Moon spent 14 years photographing some of the oldest trees on the planet. The black and white photos are produced using platinum crystals embedded in Arches Platine 100% cotton paper made in France. A high-resolution negative is created using a contact printing process and digital scanning, and then output to transparency. When printed, the photos are luminous and rich with shades, and tones.

In the introduction, Moon describes the project, her first photographs of the Bowthorpe Oak while living in Britain, subsequent photographs of other ancient trees as she moved or traveled around the world, how she chose her trees (not necessarily the best botanical representatives, but the most interesting), and details about her photographic process. Todd Forest provides the forward “Adapted to Endure,” which describes the importance of ancient trees both aesthetically and for genetic resiliency. The photographs are presented by region – Great Britain, United States, Israel, Socotra, Southern Africa, and Cambodia. The captions are compiled in the back matter, and provide details about each of the photographs. Steven Brown provides a parting tribute to trees and the importance of conserving them.

Beth Moon’s photographs are stunning – the composition, the subject, the rich detail. The trees are massive and majestic. Many are centuries old, and have adapted in interesting ways to the conditions around them. I was glad to see some of my favorites included such as the Giant Sequoias, Bristlecone Pine, and Joshua Trees of California; the beautiful Oak, Beech, Yew, and Cedar of Great Britain; and the Bayon and Strangler Fig of Cambodia. I was also interested to see unfamiliar trees, such as the Dragon’s Blood, Desert Rose, and Frankincense from Yemen; the Baobab from Madagascar, Botswana, and South Africa; and the Quiver Trees from Namibia, Africa. These beautiful and ancient trees are now preserved in photographs, but I hope we can continue to preserve them as living entities.