A: Of course, and I follow them all year for six to eight seasons, not merely four because everything changes day to day, and the beginning of a season is much different from the end. It is often difficult to tell when real changes will take place. You have to be alert and sensitive to change. Having favorites helps increase sensitivity.
There is something about my favorites that is unusual and attractive and expressive. Their expressiveness comes from where they are in terms of the soil they are growing in, the wind they bear and the amount of light they get and when they get it. Their survival is expressed in the way the trunk and the branches meet the sun and the way the leaves and flowers look. Some trees are mere survivors, others are elegant, always joyous. It is all there if you take the time to stand still and look.
Q: What separates a good photograph from a "pretty picture"?
A: Presentation of the subject matter that captures the viewer’s attention and that is original and thought-provoking makes a good photograph. Picture postcards are interesting, but they reflect a common denominator that is not art.
Q: What advice would you offer to the aspiring photographer?
A: The best way to take a good photograph is to know the subject matter very well and take it many times in different light and different seasons and times. There is no short cut. It is hard work. The camera takes the photograph but you decide what to take. The camera is not anywhere as important as the eye of the photographer.
Q: How did the trees of the Garden fare during Hurricane Sandy?
A: The storm was quite bad for the Garden. They lost more than 100 trees in the native forest, including three oaks that were healthy 300-year-old trees that were totally destroyed. And there was damage to many of the conifers.
@|Jeff Storey can be contacted at jstorey@alm.com.
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