As the year winds down, a look back reflects that there have been more than a few images of trees. Not a surprise, as they are a favored subject. On the other hand, they are challenging to compose in a square frame. This image benefits from the strong diagonal of the tree, which adds energy to an otherwise static space.

Of course, the composition of an image is a tool and is neither a message nor a subject. Nevertheless, seeing compositional elements in the field can be a plus. But searching for moments, moods, and gestures is more rewarding.

This tree isn't just a random stop but one I often pass and photograph frequently. Since I know it well, personifying it comes easily. On this particular day, the low late-afternoon light lit the tree as it appeared to reach toward the last rays of the sun. Rather than an array of diagonal pixels, its personification becomes a gesture of seeking light on one of the year's shortest days.

The black-and-white treatment accentuates the tree's emergence from the shadows into the light. The tree's green is so dominant in a color image that the gesture is lost. It ceases to be about darkness and light.

f4 1/2000 sec ISO 200 December 15, 2022