Sycamore in Snow

“Sycamore in Snow”

Gleann Farg, Kinross-shire

I have studied this Sycamore for around 10 years, capturing it in all the seasons. It sits atop a hill farm beside an ancient “Drystane” dyke (dry stone wall) and the tree itself is a memorial tree, which is a common sight on many farms in Scotland. Memorial trees have many stories behind them such as marking a birth tree, a courting tree or a memorial to a passed loved one. This particular tree sits majestically on the sight line of the hill-top and is a favouriate tree of the farmer who owns the land.

On this particular day, the shire had endured strong snow storms over a period of many days, covering that landscape in a smooth blanket of snow. Many houses were cut off due to the very deep snow and it was a few days before the road was cleared for farm traffic. As I ventured up, the snow drifts were 12-14 feet high making it a challenge to get near enough  to the tree to capture a meaningful image with a wide angle lens – to create a feeling of emptiness and distance. To avoid making any disturbance in the snow, this mean skirting round the field to get into the ideal position for the shot, and this was no easy task. Eventually, I got into position to capture the shot of the tree, almost silhouetted the dark loomimg clouds with the pristine snow field in front. Before taking the shot, I took a little time to absorb the atmosphere as the snow deadened all sound from the elements.