Trunk

Please excuse me for putting aside my father's story for a days, I am in Auckland until Thursday and I don't have access to any more of the early photos at this point.but a photo came together together a couple of days ago and it might be relevant.

A few days ago, I decided to take a breather and do some work on the rather steep and ramshackle garden that I have in New Plymouth. As I was weeding these dead Nightshade plants, I began to be aware of the forest look of the long stalks. There was a little slippage in scale that appealed to me.

I've been looking at photographing the tree trunk for a couple of months now, ever since I bought it at a pet shop. It is a cover for an aquarium filter pump, something like that, and I'm working towards buying the rest of the parts necessary for setting up my first tropical aquarium, including the fish. I have cold water fish in three places here already but tropical is a step up. I want Neon Tetras because I like the way they swim in schools and I find that relaxing.

Anyway, as soon as I saw the tree I bought it and it has had a prominent home here in my studio since. Every day I admire it. To me it looked very photogenic but it wasn't until today when I saw those weeds that I saw a possible context for it.

Now I'll live with the photo for a little while, it's not there yet but I will perhaps print it up on some large paper, pin the print to the wall and let it share my space for while. Then I have to decide to reshoot or to let it go and move on, using it as another rung on the ladder. I