River Land, along the River Murray
South Australia (AUS)
Drive out of Waikerie for under an hour, follow the River Murray and you discover this amazing landscape, like a tree cemetery for the River Red Gums that lie there, dead or dying. This place ranks amongst the most wistful yet beautiful landscapes I have seen in five months of backpacking and traveling in Australia.
Dead yet alive - in this scenery, the trees still appear to have a will of their own, struggling for their life, offering their last breath to this unexpected lanscape. There, silence is almost tangible, the air is still, yet those dessicated shapes convey such a rush of emotions that one can easily forget they are happy accidents of nature. The choice of black and white photos intensifies and emphasises this poignant environment free of human intrusion, untouched by civilization, a place where tree, bough and branch become piece of art, sculptures in a bare scenery.
As humans we are used to build things. As graphic designers, we are used to organize elements.
As photographers we are used to choose settings. But there, the scenery did that all by itself - the natural structure of the landscape was mesmerizing. With this project I wish to immortalize the memory of this place and the feelings it brought to me. And hopefully, share them with you.
As photographers we are used to choose settings. But there, the scenery did that all by itself - the natural structure of the landscape was mesmerizing. With this project I wish to immortalize the memory of this place and the feelings it brought to me. And hopefully, share them with you.
April 2013
Canon EOS 60D
LONESOME
Amidst the dessicated trees, perched on a branch was this lonesome bird, the only living creature in the desolate environment.
MODELING
BURSTING
ENTANGLEMENT
The beauty of this photo lies in the entanglement of branches overlaping one another, making it hard to see which branch stands before the others.
MAJESTIC
POSTURE
The top three boughs of this tree made such an elegant shape it almost seemed like they were posing for a photo shoot.
STRETCHED
The large trunk in the foreground and the blurry landscape in the background shows this tree cemetery stretched for miles and miles.
NARROW
This particular dying tree had only three large remaining boughs which created this narrow window, like a designated vantage point.
ARCH
These branches bowed towards one another in an elegant arch, a strangely poetic sight.
HOLLOW
ACCUSING
UNDERTONE
#1
UNDERTONE
#2
#2
UPROOTED
The trunk of this tree was floating above the river, held to the ground only by its deepest roots. The effect was astounding.
JUMBLE
A jumble of branches interacted with each other, casting their own shadow on the others, creating various shades of grey.
A jumble of branches interacted with each other, casting their own shadow on the others, creating various shades of grey.
REACHING
One tree reaching towards the other, hence creating an aesthetic negative space between the two shapes.
VEINED
LIFELINE
A close-up of one trunk revealed this amazing natural pattern in the wood, beautiful in its creases and hollows, lifelines of a dying tree.
