Every Which Way #15211

The Story

A single tree with many curving branches stands along a winding winter road. It’s a mature walnut tree, so the branches are many and both high and long. The single tree is the main subject, but there’s a lot going on around it that moves the eye away from the main subject; the tree is embedded in plentiful leading lines in this scene.

The double center line of the road leads up the hill, paralleled by the edge line. The old weathered poles carrying phone lines stand straight, stiff, and well lit against the sky. Shadows of other trees out of frame are reaching in from the right and lie across the road. Lastly, the wispy clouds in the sky have lines of their own going in another direction entirely and lay right through the single tree.

This is a busy picture, but then again, it isn’t at the same time. On the surface with one quick look, it’s just a tree along the road. Underneath, it’s all about the intersection and pulling play of all those leading lines. That makes this picture complex and how the title Every Which Way came about.

This picture only works this well thanks to being created in black and white. In color, it really would appear too busy…simply too much for the eye. All that subtle complexity comes out strongly in black and white.

And it’s an infrared photograph, by the way. I also certainly had a lot of photographer fun working up the composition in this one!

Have a look at my Black and White Landscape gallery to see more pictures and more leading lines…

Location: rural Blair County, Pennsylvania. Picture and story © Andrew Dierks