Lone trees—Portraits of Isolation and Resilience.
Solitary Witnesses is a fine-art series of leafless trees—silent witnesses to a changing world. Rooted in 19th-century Pictorialism, the work favors a restrained tonal scale to explore the tension between isolation and resilience, inviting a quiet and sustained piece of mind.
This series is guided by my Creative Framework—Resilience, Transformation, and Connection. In Solitary Witnesses, each defoliated tree embodies these pillars: standing resilient through weather and years; transforming quietly with season and light; and holding a grounded connection to place and to our own experience of time.
I print this series using classic 19th-century analog photography printing methods, including silver gelatin, platinum/palladium, and salted paper prints.
2024-2025 Silver Gelatin Portfolio
In this series, I used 5×7 silver gelatin darkroom paper as my negative and contact printed the series on silver gelatin fiber paper and selenium-toned each print.
Rooted in 19th-century Pictorialism, Solitary Witnesses treats photography as a poetic medium rather than a documentary one. Working with handmade calotype paper negatives and printing in platinum–palladium, I favor softness, luminous midtones, and the marks of a slow craft. The lone, leafless trees are not recorded for detail but translated for atmosphere and memory—the quiet passage of time made visible, the delicate beauty of impermanence held on paper.
I embrace the calotype paper negative’s orthochromatic (blue-biased) sensitivity to shape light and shadow in a distinctly expressive way. This choice moves beyond mere representation, inviting images that carry atmosphere and invite contemplation.
Each print is a platinum–palladium contact print made from my handmade large-format calotype negatives, hand-coated on 100% cotton rag paper. The image—formed in noble metals within the paper fibers—offers exceptional permanence and a quiet, matte depth that digital methods can’t replicate. The soft rendering of Pictorialist lenses, combined with Pt/Pd’s long midtone scale, continues the Pictorialist pursuit of poetic beauty over clinical detail.
Through this work, I invite the viewer to reflect on solitude, endurance, and transformation—themes that echo in the landscape and within ourselves.
These handmade prints stand as quiet meditations on the power of standing alone, the passage of time, and the living tension between connection and isolation in an ever-changing world.
Solitary Witnesses is a long-form study of lone, defoliated trees—figures that hold their ground when the season strips everything to essentials. I work with handmade calotype paper negatives and print the images as platinum–palladium contact prints. The slow, manual path—iodizing paper, developing by inspection, and printing in noble metals—lets me translate wind-shaped branches and scarred bark into a quiet tonal scale that feels honest and enduring. Each print is built to last: precious metal embedded in the paper fibers, subtle midtones over deep, rich tones that only platinum and palladium offer. These trees are not symbols of nostalgia; they’re portraits of resilience and time—silent structures that have learned to live with weather, drought, and change. My hope is simple: to make a handful of careful pictures that reward close looking and carry the calm of standing with a solitary witness in an open field.
My Creative Pillars
Endurance
Metaphor: Quiet Strength
Trees embody Quiet Strength, standing firm against the relentless forces of nature. Their endurance is not loud or boastful but rooted in their ability to persist through changing seasons and harsh landscapes. Captured with a large format camera and analog paper negatives, their subtle power and depth are revealed in each one-of-a-kind silver gelatin contact print. These images reflect the quiet perseverance found in solitude, inviting contemplation of the strength required to withstand the passage of time.
Strength
Metaphor: Resilient Presence
These trees symbolize Resilient Presence, standing tall and unwavering despite isolation and adversity. Their twisted branches and weathered bark tell stories of survival, reflecting the power to remain steadfast in an ever-changing world. I capture the depth and texture of this resilience using split-toned silver gelatin prints. Each print is a testament to the inner strength required to stand alone, celebrating the beauty of unwavering persistence.
Solitude
Metaphor: Peaceful Isolation
Amid vast landscapes, these solitary trees stand as symbols of Peaceful Isolation. Their stillness and silence create a sense of calm, reflecting the quiet introspection of solitude. Through my analog workflow, I capture the delicate balance between isolation and connection to the land. Each print reveals the harmonious relationship between the tree and its environment, inviting viewers to reflect on the quiet beauty of standing alone while remaining deeply rooted in nature.
Linking Tonality & Emotion
The tonal qualities of my prints are an essential part of Solitary Witnesses, reinforcing the work’s emotional depth. Each decision I make in the darkroom—whether to keep the tones neutral, render tones in silhouette versus open shadows, introduce warmth, or use a split-toning approach—is guided by the project’s core ideas.
Metaphors of Isolation and Resilience
I explore the live tension between solitude and endurance. A deliberately neutral-to-cool platinum–palladium palette—deep blacks and silvery grays—keeps the mood restrained and quiet. Made from handmade calotype negatives, the prints favor matte depth and a long midtone scale over descriptive sharpness. Each tree reads as a silent sentinel—resilient yet alone—holding its ground against weather, years, and change.
Enduring Symbols of Strength and Solitude
These trees are not just subjects—they’re emblems of quiet strength. Working from handmade calotype negatives and printing in platinum–palladium, I emphasize their presence with matte depth, restrained highlights, and a neutral-to-warm palette of deep browns and silvery grays. A subtle, intentional split tone—cooler high values with gently warmer shadows, shaped by metal ratios and developer—suggests the dialogue between solitude and lived history. The result is a timeless, grounded image that holds its place against weather, years, and change.
Themes of Resilience and Transformation
The changing world around these trees marks the quiet passage of time. To echo that transformation, I lean into warmer tonalities in select prints—letting midtones and shadows carry a sense of growth, weathering, and return. A subtle split-toned approach—cooler highlights with gently warmer shadows—speaks to the dual nature of resilience: standing strong while adapting to change.
The tone is shaped in-camera and in print—handmade calotype negatives for expressive light and shadow, then platinum–palladium printing where metal ratios and developer temperature guide the palette (more palladium and warm developer for warmth; more platinum and cooler development for neutrality/cool). The result is a restrained, timeless surface that holds both constancy and evolution in the same frame.
Contemplation on the Quiet Strength of Standing Alone
Isolation and connection exist in a delicate balance. Working from handmade calotype negatives and printing in platinum–palladium, I use tonality to shape the emotional register of each image. A subtle split tone—cooler highlights with gently warmer shadows—mirrors that tension. Some prints remain neutral to underscore solitude; others carry a quiet warmth that invites reflection on the passage of time.
These are not merely records of trees, but emotional reflections—prints whose matte depth and long midtone scale hold the shifting landscape of thought and experience as surely as the land holds the solitary tree.
Further Reading: Why Handmade Analog Photography Matters in the 21st Century
In an age dominated by digital imagery and mass production, the value of handmade analog fine art photography has never been more relevant. Below are a few carefully selected articles that explore why traditional photographic processes like those used in Solitary Witnesses are increasingly sought after by collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts around the world.
Analog Fine Art Photography Investment: A Smart Choice
This article explores the growing demand for authentic, handmade fine art photography, emphasizing its historical relevance and emotional impact. It highlights why collectors and curators increasingly turn to analog works in the modern digital landscape.
Analog Photography in the Digital Age
Published by the International Journal of Art and Design Studies, this study examines analog photography’s transformation and enduring significance amidst the rise of digital technologies. It offers insights into why traditional photographic methods continue to hold value for artists and collectors alike.
The Resurgence of Analogue Photography in the Digital Age
This article explores film photography’s nostalgic allure and tangible qualities, discussing its revival and the reasons behind its sustained appeal in an era dominated by digital imagery.
Art Collector Resources
- Collector and Student Testimonials [read]
- Collector’s Guide [read]
- Why Analog Photography is Essential to Fine Art Creation [read]
- Why I Create [read]
- Aura – What is it, and why does it matter? [read]
- Why Analog Photography Is a Smart Investment [read]
- Analog photography in the Digital Age: Examining transformation, alienation and authenticity in modern photographic practice. https://doi.org/10.55927/ijads.v2i3.11019
