From the Editor

“Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.”

~ Sir David Attenborough 

Great quote, right? Trees are an essential building block of this planet, and most importantly, without trees, there is no life at all. Artists, writers, and philosophers all wax poetic from the inspiration found in sharing our lands with them. So it’s easy to see why so many gravitate towards photographing trees – they are vital, unique, and have a beauty that is pure and significant to the energy they project.

Adam Gerlach is one of these photographers that feels the pull of trees and captures their essence in his own uncommon way. This series, Traces of Light, is actually a two-part series, with the other part being an examination of the light trails from vehicles passing in the night. What’s so uncommon about Gerlach’s work is the absence of light being as important as its presence. For these tree portraits, and all of the stunning characteristics found in them, he uses a technique that seems abandoned by many, but something I remember doing in my earliest days of making images – painting with light. I’m going to let his artist statement below describe this to you, but the gist is that it allows him to place attention in the scene exactly where he wants it. Complete control of the light during the nighttime hours. The resulting images are at once eerie and intriguing. They draw you in with their curves and textures, and especially in the case of the Bristlecone Pines, you feel yourself in attendance with omnipotent and sentient beings. They have felt history measured in the thousands of years, and it’s projected back outward with the branches appearing as arms reaching skyward to capture more light from the stars.

Gerlach’s prints are absolutely luminous, and it is quite clear that there is a reverence towards these incredible life forms that brings him to reproduce this quality in each and every one of them. His warm and gentle tones only add to the majesty we find here. In addition, when he presented this work to me, I was also treated to some platinum prints that brought out their own inherent qualities and mirrored the age-defying attributes of the trees represented on the paper. Once again, Gerlach rolls out his love and admiration for trees in only the best light possible. 

Traces of Light is a body of work worthy of your photography collection, and I implore you to seek and experience them for yourself.

–Michael Kirchoff @michaelkirchoff

Traces of Light 

These pictures are from my series Traces of Light. The images in the series are made at night with a process called light painting. During long exposures, with my camera mounted on a tripod, I use a flashlight to illuminate chosen details of trees I photograph without allowing light to spill into areas I want to leave in shadow. Back in the studio, I apply a special blend of digital toning striving for the perfect print, a process I find laborious yet satisfying.

My fascination with the intimate details of trees began when I was young and would climb the larger trees in the yard of my childhood home in Pennsylvania. Worming my way up through the branches, getting as close to the top as possible I would look down at the earth seemingly far below from an exciting new perspective. Not only was I able to experience a little danger and rush of adrenaline, I was also able to get to know the trees in a closer way, relishing in every knot and imperfection in the bark as I climbed skyward through the branches. When I photograph trees today, I have a similar experience of getting to know each in a deeper way. I don’t use long lenses and instead prefer the intimacy a wider lens provides, allowing me to be physically close to my subject matter.

The majority of trees in the series so far are of two types. The first type are called Australian Tea Trees. There are many of these trees that grow along Lake Merritt in Oakland where I lived for many years. I began photographing them because of how interesting and anthropomorphic they were. They really seem to come alive at night. I traveled much farther to the Inyo National Forrest, near Bishop California to photograph the Bristlecone Pine Trees. These trees are especially breathtaking. To be among them in the Inyo National Forrest nestled into the hillsides beneath the twinkling stars above is a magical experience. Being among trees some of which are many thousands of years old evokes an appreciation of how briefly humans have been here and how much more of the history of the world these trees have witnessed. It’s as if secrets of past worlds have become imprinted in the worn and gnarled wood of their limbs, trunks, and visible root structures like the grooves on a record. I have photographed many trees over the years, but these are truly my favorites.

–Adam Gerlach

[clicking on a thumbnail will bring up a lightbox]

About the Artist

Adam Gerlach is a Photographer based in Portland, OR. He received his BA in Photography in 2003 and MFA in Photography in 2012 from Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. In 2020 Dark Spring Press published a monograph of his work entitled: ADAM GERLACH Traces of Light. His work has also been published in various photography publications including Black & White Magazine, Focus Magazine, and The Silver Journal. Gerlach has exhibited in various group and solo exhibitions including the recent Members’ Show juried by Crista Dix at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, CA, the exhibit Water at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO and the Trees exhibit at A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, TX where he received a Jurors Honorable Mention from Juror Michael Kenna. He has won several International Photography Awards including Second Place in the Nature, Trees Category, a Black and White Spider Award, and in 2016 he was selected as a finalist in the Photolucida Critical Mass competition.

adamgerlach.com

@adamgerlachphotography

About the author

Michael Kirchoff works in the worlds of both commercial and fine art photography. A commercial shooter for over thirty years, it is his fine art work that has set him apart from others, with instant film and toy camera images fueling several bodies of work. His consulting, training, and overall support of his fellow photographic artist continues with assistance in constructing one’s vision, reviewing portfolios, and finding exhibition opportunities, which fill the gaps in time away from active shooting. 

Michael is also an independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. Currently, he is also Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, and is the Founding Editor for the online photographer interview website, Catalyst: Interviews. Previously, Michael spent over four years as Editor at BLUR magazine.

Most recently Michael joined the Diffusion Tapes podcast as co-host.