Photographer Don Ament says of his lifelong drive to capture images of the natural environment, “I can’t seem to get away from this attempt to give voice to a planet we have forgotten how to care for.”  His latest subjects have been silent witnesses to life, urban and rural.  “The tree,” he says, “offers up a basic theme or idea, and then it’s up to me to attempt to create something with that gift.” Which raises all kinds of questions…

Why do you photograph trees?

One day, maybe 15 years ago, my brother said to me, “You really have a lot of nice tree photographs.” And, although I basically knew that already, it made me stop and really look back into my past work and say, wow, he’s right. Thinking about it since then on a more conscious level, one thing about trees that really attracts me is their innate power of observation. Obviously, trees don’t move around all that much, and in numerous ways, their lives give them a long, slow, 24/7 drink of the world they inhabit. In their worldly experience, they have seen it all. As an “observer” myself, I’m envious of their master skill set of simply “noticing.”

Do you prefer a particular species?

One of my favorite trees is the sycamore, especially in winter and especially deep in the woods. The Earth is asleep, colors muted, but the sycamore shines so beautifully with its peeling bark and newly exposed stark white skin. The white limbs offer up a chance to work pure form and tone into, hopefully, a meaningful composition against the quiet, brown forest.

Does a particular species call for a particular technique?

The cherry trees at the Lexington Cemetery are wonderful to work with in spring. There is that one “world-famous” lane with the pink blossoms, but I tend to prefer others in tucked-away corners of the cemetery. These are the taller cherries with millions of soft white blossoms and a whole lot less people. Capturing the “weeping” strands of these blossoms presents a lot of interesting possibilities, and depending on wind and lighting conditions, things might work out, but more often do not.

Is it challenging to capture the character of a tree in a photograph?

One challenge is working to eliminate anything in the composition that should not be there. While deep in the forest, there are a million things that might detract from the composition, lots of clutter and visual noise. It’s rare that I would try to isolate a single tree in that environment, so I will look for more intimate details, or just sections of trees, reflections of trees, piles of leaves, etc. Out in an open field, however, everything changes, and I will always be on the lookout for that lone-tree-in-the-field possibility.

The branches of a tree typically display a natural sense of movement. Do you consider that when framing a photo?

Definitely. The tree offers up a basic theme or idea, and then it’s up to me to attempt to create something with that gift.

Does the position of the sun make a difference?

Lighting is everything in landscape and nature photography. Direction of light, color of light, movement of light, lots of light, or lack thereof, sun, clouds, mixed, rain, mist, hazy, clear, all of it. I am always paying attention to those cues. My eyes are very sensitive to changing light, and I seem to notice even the slightest variations in the light around me.

When is the best time of day to photograph a tree?

Best time is when I am outside with my camera, tripod and a mind that is calm and clear enough to “see." Two of those three things are pretty easy. The third? Yeah, getting the mind to quiet down is the biggest challenge of all.

Trees can evoke a range of emotions. Is this a consideration when selecting your subjects?

A depth of emotion is something I always hope to express with my images. I’m not as much interested in expressing the “where, what, how” of an image as I am attempting to bring back something a little broader, a little more universal. An image, perhaps, that asks questions rather than answers them. Of course, that leaves a lot up to the viewer to hopefully capture some of that essence, and how it might move them emotionally as the scene originally moved me.

Can changing your shooting angle influence the mood and impact of an image of a tree?

Fred Picker (R.I.P.), proprietor of the former Zone VI studios in Vermont, always used to say, “Assume you are in the wrong position.” He taught that the slightest movement of the camera position left or right, forward or back, can dramatically change an image, even of a distant landscape. I keep his teachings close in my mind when attempting to refine my compositions in the field.

As you consider how you will photograph a tree, do you take into account such things as scale, negative space, symmetry and pattern and what’s in the background?

I almost always use a tripod for my work. Today’s modern cameras and whizbang editing software promise to let you magically “fix” just about anything — well, no. I find a tripod allows me to examine each and every part of the image in the viewfinder, and change things as needed (hopefully for the better). Although this may sound boring and time consuming, I can often make very fast changes in order to rapidly respond to changing conditions.

How do seasonal changes influence what you choose to photograph?

It’s very interesting to notice how light changes with the seasons. Summer, of course, the sun tracks much higher in the sky than winter. But it is not just the angles of light, but also the colors. Winter light is typically much more golden, due to the lower sun angle but also the sleeping earth. We now have browns instead of greens. We have less haze, less humidity. It’s always a challenge to keep up with changing weather conditions, no matter the season.

Some of my favorite photographs have been made in some of the “worst” weather.

Black and white versus color and texture? Both? Why?

I got started in photography in the eighth grade, with an opportunity to work alongside the Lexington Catholic principal photographer in the darkroom at the school. The electric zing of watching those images magically appear in the trays full of chemicals hooked me and set something of a course for my life. The photographer taught me about black and white, the idea of tones and textures and the true craftsmanship of making a finished photograph. His kind words about my big-time mistakes with the camera helped me overcome the embarrassment of some fairly crappy efforts. But his ideas of craftsmanship and paying attention to the details remain with me today.

What do you want us to keep in mind as we view your photographs of trees?

I always hesitate to mention my eyesight when talking about my work, but lately I have begun to think, well, why not? I was born with cataracts, and had several surgeries as a toddler to save my vision. Let’s just say they’re better at that surgery now than they were in the early '60s. I always quietly chuckle when people look at my work and say, “You sure have a good eye!” Well, I do have one pretty decent eye, at least, lol. For many, many years, I never thought I could ever be a good photographer because of my eyesight, even after those glorious high school days in the smelly darkroom. But somehow along the way, I learned, or maybe just decided, that it doesn’t matter. This is what I do, and here are the images.

Don Ament's photographs go on display at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center on April 11. An opening reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.