I have found myself gravitating towards these wicked and wild trees in Snowdonia recently. There is something about their imperfect nature that I find quite comforting and, perhaps even, inspiring.
We are all flawed and imperfect beings, just like these enchanting silver birch — or at least, they were silver once upon a time, before they became draped in those mucky and mossy coats.
The moss only adds to their charm and appeal, in my opinion. Each twist in the trunks and bend in branches show off their wonderful character.
The imperfect nature of the trees makes me feel a sense of belonging. I fell in love with them upon my first visit. They were like a mirror, highlighting the many imperfections that I carry around with me; ones that I have struggled to come to terms with for many years.
When I was a boy, I sought approval from the men in my life. Kind words were hard to come by in my household; particularly from the men. My first stepfather had nothing nice to say about anybody; his words reflecting how he felt about himself. I searched and searched for the loving words that a little boy needed. Yet, the approval never came. Mistakes were met with criticism, the opposite usually met with silence and expectation.
The result of this was that I, like many people, was, and still am to a lesser extent, a perfectionist. For most of my years, I have demanded nothing but the best from myself. Throughout my teenage years, this reflected in the way that I styled my hair, how I controlled a football or performed in spelling tests.
Photography has given me an outlet and I can now channel my perfectionism into arranging compositions instead of angrily demanding the perfect first touch or an inch perfect pass from myself on the football field.
It is just one of many ways in which creativity and photography has enriched my life. I could go on for a lifetime about it but I’ll save that for another blog post.
For now, I just wanted to introduce the latest photograph from a series that I’m currently working on titled ‘Outcasts’. I’ve found myself a small patch of forgotten Welsh woodland and I’m going to photograph it for the foreseeable future, hopefully creating a memorable portfolio of photographs and stories to go alongside.