A Mindful Photography Exercise | Two Hours Photographing One Tree 

What a find... Yep, knew you would be doing the intimate shots. Gorgeous and the bonus fungi

The magical wonderment of the gills :) . Absolutely gorgeous imagery :) Andy C

Thankyou for your gift of time. Often I get lost with the feeling of urgency. The light must be right, I must be ready, I'll only get one chance! The truth is, that isn't how photography should be. I think the gift of time is greatly underestimated. Once more, Thankyou.

Beautiful, I never get enough photographing fungi, I’m out there after a rainy day. Glad you had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

outstanding video Kim all with one Tree. amazing

Oh Kim those fungi 🍄 looked great

Many nice images, but the final shot looking up the trunk told an amazing story AA out this wonderful tree! Great job and thanks for taking me along!

Only 2 things I would have done that you did not. 1 Self portrait with the tree - I am a tree hugger. 2. I would have laid down on the bed of leaves and shot up throught the canopy. Great video Kim please keep them coming.

Gorgeous images Kim, love Autumn

I saw the face! I don’t think I’ve said wow so many times through one video. I love the idea of spending a good couple of hours with one tree. And that tree is one you definitely could spend hours and hours with. I’m which tree I could do that with now . . . Hmmmm . . .

Wonderful exercise in observation. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

Not just one face Kim at 2.23 it looks like you are about to put your head into the jaws of a snarling dog. Fantastic video full of information as usual, very relaxing to watch thank you lovely lady.

Such a beautiful tree. I could see other opportunities behind you with other trees as well. I figured you would go for the more intimate shots. I loved the underside of the fungi the most but all were great images Kim. Great idea. I'm going to keep this in mind.

Loved the golden leaf and that final upward image.

Loved the fungi photos' beautiful subjects. The elephant popped right out at me before you mentioned it. Also, a few others tree trunk shapes remind me of characters in Star Wars movies.

I love the idea of photographing just one tree from every angle. I can really see how this would help us connect with that tree and enhance our photography of the tree. I can imagine looking back at these images in the future and remembering that time and that connection in a special way. Thank you for the inspiration, Kim, I'm going to try that this week.

Good project. Good idea. Clever.

Thanks, Kim, for the inspiration!

Beautiful video and philosophy Kim. I love how your experience extended your observations of one tree from ten minutes at the beginning to "more than two weeks" at the end of your session. Thank you for sharing your great work. I thought that the movement of the branches might inspire you to try intentional camera movement...

Great video Kim... amazing how much one tree can give photography... great results... cheers from Australia 🦘🦘😊

I love this vedio!! This is so me. A friend and I stumbled across a tree like this in Mayakka state park in FL. We were there for hours photographing the same tree Clybe Butcher did ( and we didn't huge it) !! Until we saw him months later. There is also a large oak at a local park nestled away the last hurricane blew over, I can't wait to go back to it. Walking under branches and around it. Love your work, continue to inspire us!!!! Stay well.

Hi Kim, thanks for this great idea, will definitly do that some time. Maybe even retruning to the same tree in different seasons or different weather conditions. Thanks for sharing.

My 105 s has been getting cobwebs on my book shelf, you are encouraging me to put it in my bag and taking it out for a late fall walk.

Great video Kim, I thought you would have been drawn to the details rather than classic landscape style. Right up my alley. Thank you Kim x

It’s photography that places you in the moment where what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow or what your smart phone is doing disappears. It’s almost a form of meditation.

Hello Kim, I follow you from Spain, these close-up images are really beautiful. Thanks for sharing. 📷

I loved the idea and the pictures are great. I would like to suggest you explore the tree behind you in the end of this vlog.

Another great video Kim taking us into the woodlands. It is wonderful to immerse ourselves in your videos. I truly feel as if I have made a trek into the woods with you when in reality I am sitting in my office in eastern Mississippi, USA. How wonderful that we are able to share in your experiences each week. I thought I would share also that I took a photography class probably 40 years ago from a wonderful photographer named Marion Brown. Due to his job and the limitations he had on time and travel for photography he basically concentrated on making images in a large dirt pit near his home. Of course he did get to travel, like many of us, only during his annual vacation where he shot beautiful photos of what is considered more photographic places (i.e. Yellowstone etc...). But the creative images he made over many years of the dirt pit were beautiful. He did inspire me to realize that even when I can't make trips to exotic sites there are still countless opportunities to make remarkable images in our own backyards so to speak. Like you I am always drawn to certain trees. There is a several hundred year old china berry tree in the woods on our farm and each time I ride by it I have to stop and enjoy its beauty and all the ways it shares its story and journey through the decades. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed my journey with you today Kim. Peace and Joy, Donna

All that time with one tree - makes perfect sense to me. Forming that connection is where you go from taking pictures to creating images and giving the tree the respect it deserves.

Great story Beautiful images

I always enjoy your videos and your passion for your photography. One thing I do not recall you ever talking about is how you approach editing your photos. Trees are one of those subjects that always interest me but I find difficult to make look anything but blah. I suspect it's how I'm editing the shots. Even the close up shots don't come to life like yours do.

Kim, another case study in photographing a micro-scape. The image had great variety and were all lovely in their own way. As always, thanks for sharing.

That was beautiful Kim. What a tree! The fungi images were stunning! What a perfect exercise for mindfulness too. I did see the face and it was in a beautiful dancing pose behind you near the end when you were talking ❤

You guys are lucky. Autmn around here (midwestern US) was not so great, likely due to the lack of rain and the unusually warm weather earlier this year (or shall we just say strange weather patterns as it relates to rain and hot/cold temps. Some areas like upper Michigan ahd more color, and I think other parts of the US were better than others, but around me, it was a bit disappointing to be honest. Maybe next year I'll travel somwehere up north for fall color as it seems that those areas are less impacted by the lack of rain (or not enough rain) and the warmer weather. I mean around here, many tries actually lost their leaves before fall colors even hit, and some only changed to perhaps a brown, but not red/orange, and then lost their leaves. Probably one of the "worse" fall seasons I've seen in years for our area.

Lovely video, Kim, and superb shots! How about placing them into a collage, a la David Hockney? Cheers from Oz🇦🇺

Beautiful story of a tree.

I'm new to photography and am totally inspired by your work. However, it would be so helpful if you spoke about your exposure settings.

Macro that's what I thought within an instant. When I got my macro lens it opend up a whole new world of image opportunities in nature to me. Things that I could see before but were unable to capture without a good 105mm macro.

Thank you for this video. I found it very inspiring. I thought you were going to do more long range shots but I loved the way you got to know the tree and homed in on the characterful detail

Loved this video. It's such a lovely idea. It presented awesome photography captures that may very well have been missed had you been in a rush. I will definitely be on the lookout for something similar that may photograph. As always, thank you for taking us along for the journey. 😊

Great video Kim , important to take time to see what's on offer and visualise the shot . Love those back-lit fungi shots , they were exquisite !

Thanks for sharing this Kim. A lovely story in it’s own right but also an inspiration.

Thanks for sharing your process! Many of us could stand to slow down and really see what we are photographing.

Stunning images from a majestic and magical tree.

I have photographed over 500 ancient trees since last winter (for the A.T.I.) ranging from giant plane trees to ancient oaks; each tree has its own character and when studied carefully really highlights the importance of our woodlands in the UK and the contribution they make to the environment.

I ride an electric bike to work and back each day, part of the track goes beside a canal with some marvelous trees, I will have to get the camera out one day and take some photos of them.

Thank you Miss Kim! After seeing your video I will be going out tomorrow to photograph a particular oak tree in the Sierra foothills. Thank you, again, for the inspitation!!!

What a beautiful study, love this video Kim.

amazing video my friend,loved !

November the 5th and I've been out photographing butterflies - Don't recall seeing them out so late.

Kim you captured the tree perfectly so relaxing to watch 😊

Such a lovely video and beautiful images 👍

Great video -- wonderful tranquil scenery ! I also enjoy heading into the nature now during the autumn season very much and just like a therapeutic activity taking pictures ( did take a role of film yesterday with my old trusty Nikon F3 ! ) . Think I recognized the face you meant -- it looks like it is facing downwards almost in a 90° angle towards the ground -- doesn`t it ?

I assumed you would try to get intimate photos of the tree just based on having watched so many of your videoes! I am curious to see how I’ll be able to do the same. This video will be my reference! Thank you! I especially loved the fungi photos!

Simply wonderful, Kim! Thanks so much for bringing us along for this awesome shoot!

The first image the single leaf is beautiful. I have two trees in a local woods, i'll have to visit soon. I knew you would get into detail of the tree. Kim, your words and work as always are beautiful. Have a blessed and safe upcoming week.

Thank you Kim, for a very interesting video. The thought of spending so much time on one object to photograph is very inspiring idea. The fungi photo and the lone leave are spectacular. Thank you.

As usual, you can find natural beauty that most of us miss.

Enjoyed the video as usual Kim. An interesting tree which you managed to capture in great detail. I don't think i would have the patience to spend the amount of time you did to photograph it. Great images as usual. Look forward to the next one.

I love the story - you're approach and connection with nature is inspiring - no, I wasn't quite expecting this format, but it is eye-opening and something I must try. 👍

Hey Kim! I love your videos and make a point to sit down every Sunday morning and watch. They are always very relaxing and you are so thoughtful. I had a question. Is there a reason you stopped adding th shutter speed, ISO and aperature info to your photos? I really appreciated that in your past videos because as a new photographer it helped me better understand HOW you got to that image. Does it take too much time to add? Would you ever consider adding that info to a patreon or membership tier? Thanks for reading all this.

Good advice.

I saw a young elephant face and long trunk. Cool.

Love your images. I was expecting you to do close-ups of its features. For awhile my mobility has been limited because of heart issues resulting in open heart valve replacement. So I have been taking pictures in my backyard of my dogs, trees and clouds. Because it's Fall there is a lot of variety in leaf colors. I have a huge oak tree with really unique characteristics to its bark. There have also been visiting birds - a challenge to get a shot before my dogs chase them away. As frustrated as I am with my limitations - this has been a good opportunity to see what I can do with my assortment of lenses ànd the differences between my two cameras, At the suggestion of Kevin Nordstrom I started watching your videos. They are wonderful, encouraging, they make me think. Thank you! (I live in Maryland USA)

I've just been out yesterday at my local woods. I found a beautiful line of mushrooms circling around a tree. I lost myself there for 2.5 hours. :) I totally understand the point of this video. Great work, beautiful images as always!

Cześć Kim! Podziwiam Twoje podejście do fotografii. Serdecznie pozdrawiam! 🏵

This makes me wonder how many times I've missed mushrooms because I was looking at the tree as a tree, instead of observing it as a holder of many other objects to photograph.

The face reminded me of Sid from Ice Age! lol

Beautiful , calming video as usual! I love the fall colors and the little Ewok face with horns. :) What kind of tree was that?

Love autumn my favourite time of the year for photography ❤ What tripod do you use ?

You connected with the tree exactly as I thought you would and yes it is truly spectacular as were your images especially the first of the fungi shots. I wish I could find the vibrant colours you have but in my part of the North East of England I’m not finding that due to most forested areas being on recently reclaimed land where Silver Birch trees are the norm. That said there is one ancient tree that really attracts me but sadly the field of view is face on only due to it being fenced in as it’s sitting over a small tidal creek with chaotic scrub around it so the only variations I’ve found so far are seasonal, I’m going to keep trying though.

Hi Kim, I thought you would have used an extension ladder, climb 20 feet up to photograph from above. Just kidding, your approach to the tree and connecting with that tree in your way made it special.

I like details so maybe that's why I thought you'd go that way.

Hi Kim , Thanks for your very inspiring video. I am also a Nikon photography enthusiast. I use Nikon gear and I often watch your videos. The Nikon z6 II and Zf gear I use, I basically have all the Nikon lenses you use, except Nikon Z 100-400. I am going to buy Nikon Z 100-400. Do you think it is necessary? Would love to hear your suggestions. I am Steve.

There's more than one face hidden within that tree Kim which I'll point out at some point.... Nice your starting to connect with the trees. Been a big part of your life's if you think about it... Nice vlog x

Beautiful. Which model tripod is that?

I'm off out to find me a tree to study.

Thank you for this lovely video of photographing one tree. There are so much more angles to photograph this tree and maybe you have seen them too. But when entering this tree, i would take all the branches and stuff around on the ground. It appears they have being put there by children and are very distracting, at least to me.

Totally Tubular

I think you can spend so much time rushing about getting as many shots as possible that just slowing down and spending more time just observing a subject makes one appreciate the wonders and beauty that nature as to offer. Your video's have certainly made me slow down and observe. Thank you.

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