Artistic Tree Images - About the Photographs


Trees make us aware of the seasonal changes and they are fascinating to watch at any time of the year. Most of my tree photos are made late in the year as I have found that tree images are better made in winter when the colours and graphical elements are much more interesting. Trees make great subjects for artistic and surreal effects.


WD1 Winter Sunset - Rosses Point


Winter sunset over Sligo Bay. This scene is near Ballincar on the road to Rosses Point. The weather was very cold and the late afternoon sun was reflecting off the water out in the bay. The reflection can be seen as a sunlit strip of light behind the trees.


WD2 Rowan Tree - Ox Mountains


Evening in the Ox Mountains, West Sligo. While driving up a hill on the small road that winds through the mountains this scene appeared out of the blue.


WD3 Road from Coolaney


Coolaney is a picturesque village that is on the road to Tubbercurry in South Sligo. This is where the Ox Mountain road begins and on this evening the warm sunset countered the cool blues of the shaded areas


WD4 Winter Evening - Ladies Brae


Colour can be just as strong in winter. This is in the Ox Mountains in the middle of winter and the trees are silhouetted against a warm coloured sky. The sky just suddenly lit up and started glowing with pinks, purples and yellows.


WD5 Hazelwood - Sligo


Hazelwood is a forest about 2 miles from Sligo Town and it sits on the edge of Lough Gill. This autumn shot was inspired by the shafts of sunlight streaking across the path and onto the fallen leaves. This is a good place to see riots of Bluebells in the month of May while to the right of the scene is Lough Gill where there are lots of rowing boats that are left moored by local trout fishermen.


WD6 Autumn on Knocknarea Mountain


Another shot taken near home. The trees were by the side of the road that by passes the mountain. The leaves were glowing like jewels against the blue sky and the yellows and greens were the strongest I have seen in nature.


WD7 Winter Trees - Knocknarea


Taken early on a winters evening. The trees seem like giants against the setting sun.


WD8 Lazy Tree


This tree looks like it wants to go to sleep but the branches show some interesting graphic patterns and lines.


WD9 Flaming June - Ladies Brae


This was shot on a hot june day as the sun was splitting the trees. The leaves on these trees looked like emeralds as they shimmered in a fresh breeze. The trees to the rear of the picture have now been bulldozed and it will be years before we see it like this again.


WD10 Lonely Tree


A tree on the West Coast that has spent it's life being buffeted by the west winds. Like a lot of things in Ireland it just looked out of place and you wonder how it got there.


WD11 Autumn Trees - Hazelwood


Another view of the wood at Hazelwood but taken in autumn. These trees are tall and they cover the road below so it felt like a day of foreboding because the light was low and the weather cold.


WD12 Traffic Management - Hazelwood


Lough Gill is about 10 metres to the right of these wooden stumps and there are a lot of swans and ducks here. The car park is often busy and these stumps stop cars getting close to the water. It's nice to see that not eveything is made from concrete.