My journey with photography was broken by a fifteen-year hiatus, prompted by a significant personal event that led me to step away from my camera. During this period, my enthusiasm for photography was placed on a closet shelf and lay dormant, but not forgotten.

In 2020, with a desire to return to photography, the purchase of a new camera became a significant moment of re-emerging. The beginning of a new project. This project was not merely a return to photography but a profound exploration of renewal and discovery.

For this project, I choose to engage myself in the beauty and diversity of a local park and gardens, a sanctuary spanning thirty acres.

Over the course of the project in a new environment I initially thought would last just a month, I found myself immersed in the world of trees within this large park. What began as a brief exploration turned into a six-month journey, during which these trees became more than subjects for my photography, they became my friends. Each season brought new images revealing their silent strength and subtle beauty. The longer I spent with them, the more I realized how much they had to teach me about patience, resilience, and connection with the world around me. Through my lens, I documented their beautiful and at times destructive transformations, and embraced their presence in my life. I found a profound companionship that I never anticipated when I first set out on this project. SjB