Landscape photographer Michael Kenna just had a big retrospective of his tree photography, prompting renewed interest in how he got so many amazing images.
Via the retrospective:
Michael Kenna is one of today's most important and influential black & white landscape photographers. This exhibition, curated by Blue Lotus Gallery, focuses on a subject most dear to Kenna: trees. Slowness is a philosophy that carries through all that Michael Kenna does. For forty five years he has worked with film and still prefers it to digital. Sometimes his exposure times last many hours. He makes all his own prints in his own darkroom. Good trees grow slowly, and those with strong resilience situated in good conditions can live for thousands of years. Each tree has its own story to tell. The viewing pleasure of Kenna's work is likewise connected to a change of pace, close focusing, and a meditation of sorts. Philosopher's Tree is the story of an artist's childhood friendship with trees that has culminated in works that demonstrate the beauty of simplicity. One cannot help but wonder, if these trees could talk, what would they tell us?
Below, he reads a passage from his book:
For those unfamiliar with his work, this is a nice biography with many examples of his work.
The collector's edition book is not cheap, but it's quite lovely, and a bit meta as it's made of trees.
• PHILOSOPHER'S TREE by Michael Kenna (YouTube / Blue Lotus Gallery Hong Kong)
