I had visited the Westview cemetery in Atlanta a few years ago with other LF photographers from North Georgia. At that time I saw this huge red oak tree and tried to capture it on 4×5 film but even my wide angle lens did not do it justice. When I purchased my 5×12 camera in 2020 I put this tree on my list of items to photograph. In May 2021 I visited this cemetery again with that camera and a newly purchased 210MM wide angle lens. There are few grave markers in this area but I was conscious enough to move between them and found a spot off to the left slightly that still gave me a good view of the tree. The tree is huge and I had to keep backing up further and further until it filled the frame. By the time I made the film capture the sun was up quite high and casting shadows on the trunk so I had to give a little extra exposure to the darkest areas and let the sky go white. Satisfied with the work I had done, I captured a couple more vantage points including one where a great tree had been cut down in the foreground.

About a week later I processed the film and was pleased with what I saw on the light table. It would be another couple of months before I could contact print the 5×12 image on Ilford MGFB matte paper cut to 7×14. After looking at the image for a couple of weeks I decided it needed to be toned. I feel the softer areas of the print due to focus and/or lens haze would work better if toned. I bleached the print until all dark tones had been reduced to a light tan. I then redeveloped the print in thiourea until the lightest tones returned. I then gave it a selenium bath for final archival permanence. See my last post Toning with Thiourea about this procedure. Comparing the silver vs brown toned image, I definitely like the toned image better and it suits this tree.

Update: The Facebook page for Westview Cemetery reported in June that the right lower limbs of the tree had broken off. I am reminded that we should take an image when we see it if we can, because it may not be there the next time we plan to visit. I am also reminded that trees such as this one have seen much of our American History and have significance in our landscapes and in our hearts. This tree resides over the final resting place of many prominent families from Atlanta, including my wife’s grandparents.