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Garden tragic Jude is asking this month for a b&w or monochrome garden-related photo. My garden is the bush, and one of my favourite plants is the spotted gum, which I've photographed untold times – smooth and stately, peeling in great slabs, gleaming with rich colours after rain. I've adjusted to its name change – once Eucalyptus maculata it has become Corymbia maculata – but a name change doesn't change beauty. The forests near home are filled with spotted gums and their companion burrawangs and, in summer, hyacinth orchids. In one patch on the headland the trunks are twisted and the trees stunted. Elsewhere they stand alone and can reach giant status. The Big Tree in state forest near J's has been a place of family pilgrimage for many years: if you haven't visited it you feel deprived of a mysterious pleasure. Other giants lurk on the outskirts of rainforest.
The one in the photo is the view from the front door of the house where my children grew up. I have seen it peering through mist; vivid in crimsons, creams and greens after rain; dangling shreds of bark at raking up time as the fire season revs up; serene and smoothly grey in afternoon light.
I still prefer the coloured version. The tonal black-and-white one does not do full justice to this magnificent tree, or ‘nature’s artistry’ if you will.
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I thought you might think this. But I think it reveals the strength of the patterning in a way colour distracts from. Two different pleasures.
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I suppose if something is in black-and-white, I like the contrasts to be really strong, as in dark shadows delineating walls in the full light of midday. Not so easy to do with a garden or forest as it is with old buildings. This is a tough challenge.
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Serene in grey π (or black and white, if you insist π )
Hope you’ve recovered from iPad stress, Meg. I don’t have one so no stress there π
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Can’t tell the difference between b&w and monochrome and I’m too distracted to follow it up! Trying to configure old iPad for J and new one for me.
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Nightmare π¦ π¦ π¦
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What glorious patterns, Meg!
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I was a bit surprised that it translated.
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I’m still trying to learn to see in monochrome, in order not to be surprised by the results!
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Your words of homage do justice to this magnificent tree Meg. I never though it would translate so well into a study in monochrome.
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The patterns emerged so strongly after rain.
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Thanks for reminding me of the wonder of 5he spotted gum and burrawong forest. Its been many years since I have seen such bush but I can stll remember my first sight of it. Australia contains some very curious plants.
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Burrawangs are ancient. I feel very lucky to live in a landscape of spotted gums. J’s hosting hives for spotted gum honey.
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Such an artsy soon here – π
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I have a beauty in the red, yellow and green, but never thought to have a look at it in black and white. It works well as an abstract image. I adore your gum trees.
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Me too – as you can tell!
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You can’t beat nature’ s artistry can you?
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You absolutely can’t. The best I can do is pay photographic homage to it.
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