SingulariTree is a collection of images focused around isolated trees as the main subject of the piece. Each piece is also tied to a human experience and emotional element. Personification is a powerful element used in those heartwarming images of animals that has helped people relate to wildlife images and become motivated to protect them as a result. This project aims to add personification to trees to promote a similar connection and desire for preservation.
Trees are incredibly important for our global ecosystem. Aggressive deforestation, climate change, forest fires and invasive species continue to threaten them. I will be working with an organization called Give Back to Nature to create impact from this series. Each piece will exist in tree..I mean three…forms, all limited editions. There will 100 paper prints, size 13″x19″, printed by me, numbered and signed. The second set will be tree…there I go again…THREE metal prints, size 16″x24″ and the final piece is in the form of a 1 of 1 NFT. For each complete set that has been collected(ex: all 3 metals are a set), I will providing Give Back to Nature the funds to plant 1000 trees!
The remaining profits from this collection will be funding a trip where I will be traveling to the Amazon and working with local organizations focused on forest and wildlife preservation and rehabilitation. The amazon rainforest was a huge fascination for me as a child and I cannot think of a better way to travel to such an important ecosystem. While there, I will be documenting the experience and producing a photobook where 100% of proceed will feed back into the organization I work with. NFT Collectors from the series will receive a airdrop of the photobook with the option to burn the airdrop and receive a physical book.
The NFTs(non-fungible Tokens) will be created on my own smart contract through Manifold. This allows me to maintain control of the collection and list on multiple platforms. This secures the body of works longevity and removes any risk from platform(opensea, foundation, etc) interference or loss. The series will initially be launch on Foundation marketplace platform: Singularitree
All NFT collectors holding a piece(that I am able to connect with) at time of the trip will also receive a copy of the trip’s itinerary and an invitation to join at their own expense. This will provide an opportunity to meet with me and be involved in the experience.
The Trees
#1 “Light Through the Fog”
Description:
When the fog thins and the first light returns, it touches the lone maple with quiet certainty. Light Through the Fog reflects the quiet triumph of moving through doubt, and the beauty found in the first clear glimpse beyond it.
Tree:
Silver Maple
Location:
Adirondacks, New York
Behind the shot:
I made the early morning drive north to the Adirondack wilderness, right at the end of peak foliage season in a last ditch effort to get some more fall images for the year. I had missed a few prime weeks while traveling to Iceland and hadn’t had the chance to do a lot of scouting this year. It’s about a two hour drive for me from the capital region of New York where I live and I got a later start than I had wanted to. Due to this, my timing was a little off and I was in a rush to get to the spot I had scouted. I had planned to catch sunrise from the top of Whiteface mountain but as I was nearing it, the sun began to light up the valleys around me. Thick pockets of fog hung in every low point as I drove through and this particular field had a massive tree standing alone in the center. The bright yellow foliage stood out against the dense fog to further isolate it from its surroundings. Since I was already running late, I drove right past this scene without stopping. About a mile down the road I made the decision to abandon my original plan and turn around. I drove back to this location and took out my camera. I’m glad I did!
Prints
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$100.00 – $1,000.00
#2 “Focus on What Matters”
Description:
Life moves at a fast pace and you can get caught up in the blur. Take the time to slow down and focus on the parts that truly matter before you miss them completely.
Tree:
Red Maple
Location:
Adirondacks, New York
Story behind the shot:
This image was captured at Heart Lake in the Adirondacks in the fall of 2021. The lake, named for its shape, has a trail that goes around it but the trail is far enough away from the edge of the lake that you cannot see the actual lake from the trail. There are small paths every 100 meters or so that branch off and lead down to the lake’s edge. The first path down to the lake brought me a wide view of the area. I saw the surrounding mountains popping with color in different pockets. I scanned around the edge of the lake searching for interesting compositions. Along the edge of the far side of the lake, a single vibrant red tree stood out, contrasted by the dark green pines that flanked it. It was at an off angle so the composition wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but I believed it could be something from another offshoot along the lake. I continued my way along the trail getting closer to this area of the lake and continued to walk down each offshoot as I got closer. With each branch I took, I could see what I was looking for start to take shape. Finally I got to the path directly across the lake, providing me the perpendicular view I was searching for. I took out a telephoto lens and focused on getting in close, eliminating other beautiful but distracting parts of the scene. When I got the image home and started working on it in post production and got it to a point that I liked, but didn’t love it so it sat. Life got busy, things came up and the image sat on my hard drive. One day I came back and sat down to look at it again, still having a busy day but I told myself to focus because I wanted to finalize this image. While the vibrant red provided some separation, there was too much detail throughout the frame which I felt was a distraction. Choosing to apply a motion blur to the image and mask out the tree that I wanted to focus accomplished simplifying the scene. It was at this point that the message of this piece was formed as the final result resonated with my own journey to create it. There are times when an artist sets out to create with a message in mind and then there are times when the message presents itself through the process of creating. This result was born from the latter.
Reserve Price: 1 ETH
Prints
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Focus on What Matters$100.00 – $1,000.00
#3 “Darkmoor”
Description:
In this haunting image, a moss-covered oak tree emerges as a silent guardian of ancient secrets, its gnarled branches casting shadows that beckon toward the unknown. In the hidden corners of the world, where few sounds stir, we are given space to listen more closely — not outward, but inward. Darkmoor is a reflection of that quiet contemplation and the mysteries of our minds that we can explore.
Tree:
Oak
Location:
Dartmoor National Park, UK
Story behind the shot:
In 2022, I took a trip to the UK and spent a couple weeks exploring. On the south western edge of the country, sits Dartmoor National Park. I drove there from London and didn’t arrive until after dark. The country roads as I got closer were full of obstacles like sheep and the occasional highland cow.
After spending the night in an Airbnb that wasn’t much more than someone’s spider filled cellar, I got up early before sunrise to venture into the woods. The area has a large population of Adders (the UK’s only venomous snake) so I was weary of where I was walking, especially in the low light. I did not encounter any snakes but I did arrive on the edge of the patch of forest I had been looking for just past sunrise. In typical UK fashion, there were heavy clouds and not a lot of good light to work with. Entering the woods was also not an option as it was a protected, old growth forest with delicate moss covering everything. I spent time working around the edges, inspecting angles for compositions that would capture this unique environment. I was the only one there, my partner had left me to go walk among the sheep off in the distant hills. The silence and mood of the forest was haunting at first but as I spent more time being present, the more I relaxed and felt at peace. You can explore the area in a 360 image below that I captured later that morning.
If would feel like this feels familiar to you in some way, you might be a fan of the Lord of the Rings. While not shot here, this area was inspiration for Fangorn Forest and the Ents when Tolkien was writing the books.
NFT
Coming soon…
#4 “Alone at the Dunes”
Description:
Rooted in golden fields beneath towering dunes, a solitary juniper leans toward the rising sun — a quiet testament to resilience and hope. Alone at the Dunes, part of the Singularitrees series, invites reflection on how we are shaped by the light we seek.
Tree:
Juniper
Location:
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Story behind the shot:
I spent a week and a half touring around Colorado in a campervan in 2021. One of the first stops on my tour was the tallest sand dune in North America at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. That dune pictured here stands over 700 feet tall and was a challenge to hike up. When I had arrived the previous day, I hiked up to the top to catch sunset across the plains that rest at the foot of these dunes. at that time, the dunes were full of people. The following morning I woke up to emptiness. Not far from where I had camped, this lone tree sat between me and the giant dunes. The rocky mountain range extends beyond the dunes and is the guardian of the morning light. I takes a little longer in the morning for the light to reach this area as the sun needs to rise over these massive mountains since the dunes are to the west of the range. Sitting among a field of sunflowers I couldn’t help but notice everything turned toward the rising sun. Even the lone juniper trees growth seems to have been influenced by the anticipation of the delayed morning light and appears to be reaching for its warm embrace.
NFT
Coming soon…
To be released:
