It's a simple idea, really. Stick a white canvas behind a tree found in nature and take a picture. Then again, some of the best ideas come down to execution. For each of these photos, South Korean photographer Myoung Ho Lee singles out one tree in his native country and then places it against a stark white backdrop. His large, 60 by 45 feet canvases are brought in by a production crew with heavy cranes and then extraneous components of the canvas support system, like ropes and bars, are later removed by digital retouching. The result? The backdrops look like they're floating.
Lee not only searches for a specific tree with a certain “personality,” to add to its character, he also chooses a season and time of day. He's also very careful to fill the frame around the canvas so that you can take in the tree's natural surroundings. As Yossi Milo Gallery states, “By creating a partial, temporary outdoor studio for each tree, Mr. Lee's ‘portraits' of trees play with ideas of scale and perception while referencing traditional painting and the history of photography.”
Of course, one has to ask, “Why a tree?” He says, “I chose a tree because you see it everyday but people forget it's there.” Didn't you find yourself appreciating the little details?
Myoung Ho Lee at Yossi Milo Gallery's website
via [Black Eiffel]
