to convey these sentiments because promoting nature and its preservation through art – with its inherent
ways of connecting with people emotively and intellectually, is literally using positive experiences as a form
of currency. Environmentally optimistic art inspires people to freely and independently get excited about
the possibilities of enjoying nature and; therefore, seek out or invent realistic ways of sustaining nature for
continued enjoyment.
My appreciation for nature comes from my mother who has always loved the outdoors, and especially
gardening. She absolutely loves flowers; wild and domestic. I, on the other hand, have always been more
interested in trees.
The trees and landscapes in my Arboretum Virtualis are selected by how they’ve been shaped by their
growth cycles, the surrounding atmospheric aesthetics, apparent maturity and health. It’s a thrill for me to
see a tree that has been twisted largely because of how wind has blown against one side of it or another for
years, or that it leans to one direction mainly because that direction is where most of its needed sunlight
came from.
For some compositions I deliberately choose trees that show signs of human presence, even if people are
not directly visible. It could be a city park, a farm field, a road or a beat up old truck, rusty plow, or artificial
lighting that is included to subtly show the human presence. I think this is important, not just for making
my work stand out from similar projects of other photographers who will not show signs of people, but for
deliberately pointing out the reality that we do have a close association with the world’s trees. We always
have and we always will, so long as we live on the Earth and don’t clear all trees off its surface.
Most of the trees that I have shot so far are in or have been in my country of Canada. I do like to go to other
countries, nevertheless, to see what compositions I can make with species and scenes that I won’t find at
home. Although many have shot cypresses covered in Spanish moss in the southern US, I’d still like to in my
own way. I have yet to get to Madagascar to photograph the giant baobas there. I’d love to do something
with the tall mature Auracaria of Patagonia because of their legacy of being a surviving plant species that
existed in the times of the dinosaurs. I must admit that it’s also because I just like the tree’s common name
of “Monkey Puzzle”. I thoroughly enjoyed shooting coconut and royal palms in Cuba. Cuba has more than 90
species of palms all over the island. The varieties are amazing.
When I’m out on a nature walk or an off-trail forested hike with a camera, I try to photograph my
surroundings in a way that conveys the sense of space, mystery and freedom that I get from being out in the
bush. It’s a profound feeling, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
If you can’t get away when you’d like to, look up Arboretum Virtualis and spend some time there.
all images in this story (c)
Allan Hamilton
Allan Hamilton is a freelance graphic
artist, illustrator, photographer and art
blogger based in Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada. Also known as TheMOFMan,
he is the founder of the visual arts firm
Modes of Flight (MOF). You can find
him in many places online but the MOF
website is at www.modesofflight.com.
For the last 15 years, he has also worked
as an Environmental Health and Safety
Coordinator developing and managing
environmental and occupational
health and safety policies for a midsized company and a corporation. The
progress of Arboretum Virtualis can be
followed from Allan’s main blog at https://
themofman.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/
arboretum-virtualis-introduction/.
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