Untitled #4 is a monochrome black-and-white photograph of a dogwood blossom. By stripping the colour of the blossom, we are brought to view the veins, shadows, and blemishes. These textures create an intricate flower that guides us as it seems to unfold, each petal seeming to do from the centre. Furthermore, this helps to give the image a sense of movement despite being static.
The black background has isolated the flower so that its elements are exposed to us to examine the shape of the petal, which gently curves. Contextually, as this is a native plant to West Virginia, it creates a personal connection to Pittenger and serves as a part of the home concept. Thus, we can assume that dogwood flowers carry significance to the identity of the area, and thus, its importance is not just confined to its appearance but to the history that it serves as a point of inspiration and a reminder of a journey.
Untitled #9 presents a bunch of dying leaves connected to a twig- rather than exemplifying the details of the leaves like the flower in Untitled #4- this work, instead of the white background, becomes more of a dreading atmosphere. We are watching the life of the twig decay before us and thus reflecting on life as it lives and dies, just like us. Again, the background contrasts heavily with the subject, transforming it from simply being botanical to potentially having meaning. The leaves, twig, and stem are extremely brittle and seem to drain and die slowly.
The details of the leaves which are incredibly wrinkled, creased and tired of old age are surrounded by emptiness and light which could suggest them parting on. This white background emphasises these leaves even more and their sharper edges as they die rather than the smoother edges they would have when at their prime. Hence, the photograph serves as a recording of their deterioration and perhaps gives the photograph an existential feeling.
Untitled #8 displays the sunrise beautifully as the sunrays pierce through the trees, which have become silhouettes that wonderfully separate the photograph between black and warm yellows and oranges. The sun’s rays illuminate what would have been hidden in this photograph, as a fence is slightly visible in the background. Impressively, this results in a great contrast between the elements in the photograph and makes it seem like the light is moving throughout the work.
The shadows and lights within this work are also perfectly balanced, which helps to stabilise the composition. It allows the light to guide the viewer’s eyes around the shadowed silhouettes of the trees and removes all other distractions from the image. The mist in the scene, which is diffusing the light, helps to soften the light and make it feel as though it’s slowly changing, which helps to add peacefulness to the scene.
Untitled #5 is another monochromatic photograph- this time of a network of tree roots exposed to view at the Four Pole Creek. The roots are in a distinctly lighter colour compared to the rest of the scene, entangling the viewer towards them on first viewing. They twist, turn, and move gnarled, grappling onto the earth around them to ground the tree into stability. Meanwhile, the water has a slightly distorted reflection reflecting the roots’ struggle.
However, as the soil does not cover the roots of the tree, it exposes the roots to erosion and damage. Thus, The tree is perhaps an ancient tree that is finally succumbing to its age; hence, this photograph is of a subject that would usually be overlooked and documents the tree’s end. The roots could then be interpreted as living fossils of the tree as they look almost skeletal, and the lighting even pushes this as they are as light as bone against an almost black background like a medical x-ray.
Untitled #2 pairs two forms of tree together- one is a tree stump of a tree that once lived, and the other is the living tree. The stump contrasts the leaning tree as rocks surround it and seem decaying, which hints at the future of the other tree. In the background, it is foggy as the background trees fade into the mist, reducing the viewer’s perspective to the closest leaning tree. Furthermore, the fog helps to make the viewer engage with what is visible and acknowledge or imagine what lies beyond the visible in the image.
Behind the tree and the tree stump, there is a tree that may potentially be dead, too, as it seems to have been snapped in half. The fog, in this perspective, could be alluding to the forest’s dead period (during the winter), when the trees are hibernating. Or perhaps the trees are dying to be replaced by future trees.
Untitled #6 has a tree trunk coming out of the forest down onto the ground as though the tree has just been felled. However, the tree seems to have had its bark removed, exposing its core to the viewer. This suggests that the tree may have been killed or damaged by the weather. Some of the leaves that are still connected to the dead tree are still slightly alive, suggesting that the tree’s death was recent to the time the photograph had been taken.
The dead tree’s colour is very light compared to the surroundings, drawing the viewer directly to it- it is as though it is sticking out, disrupting the area. Despite being dead, it looks as though there is growth starting to cover the tree, which will consume the tree and make it part of the land again. Hence, the photograph suggests that nature is reclaiming itself and turning the tree’s death into new life.
Untitled #1 is a beautiful panorama of pine trees veiled in mist. The panoramic format, as with the later panorama photographs reviewed, allows the viewer to envision themselves in the scene. We are put into the area and can scan across this scene, taking in the atmosphere still moving from the mist and in extreme solitude. Due to the work’s format, there is no point that guides us, and we are left to move across the image on our own accord.
The ground is lightly textured and looks snowy, allowing us to fully focus on the trees and fog, which brings us into the landscape. The mist seems to layer upon the trees, and the panorama has great depth. The fog not only makes this scene feel much smaller than it is but also allows us to concentrate on what is there- which turns the concept of fog ironic as it is meant to conceal but increases our clarity of this scene as we imagine the rest.
Untitled #3 is the wintry landscape of Pipestem, where we observe the Appalachian mountains rolling, and the horizon and cloudy skies consume the distant mountains and landscapes. The contrast of the mountains themselves is shown the most in the first viewing of the landscape; the trees seem apparent, yet they are surrounded by the snow, carving a structure out for themselves. The panoramic format of the photograph allows us to imagine ourselves on one of the peaks of the mountains, looking towards the horizon, giving it clarity and power despite a cloudy day.
The skies and the landscape seem to go from shadow to light as there are vast swathes of shadow over the mountains. While for the clouds, it has a similar pattern (or perhaps texture when looked at from a distance) as it has ripples of shadow. The sky and the land complement each other and balance the composition as they similarly move between light and shadow.
Untitled #10 showcases a dark and foggy scene; the colour of the fog is a slight blueish-green, creating an air of mystery to the photograph. The way that the mist and fog envelop the mountains and the tree seems to be shifting, giving the photograph a feel of movement. The hills thus appear softened by the fog, making them as though they are translucent as they merge.
Furthermore, all regions (the skies above the mist and the hills) blend into each other, allowing us to wonder what is beyond these areas. This obscurity created by the fog, which hides what’s beyond, allows for the scene to feel as though it is a memory- especially furthered by the dark blue-greens that give a strangeness to the air.
Untitled #7 is separated between the forested hills and an extremely dark sky that creates an ominous atmosphere. The trees are leafless and frozen in the photograph, which gives a feeling of dread as they seem lifeless, and the dark sky has clouds looming above. Incidentally, the skeletal appearance of the pale leafless trees makes them look as though they are reaching towards the sky, contrasting against the fog and pitch darkness.
The horizon is not positioned in the centre but rather downwards, which allows the foreboding sky to dominate the panorama. It thus gives drama to the composition while also making the viewer feel small in this foreboding environment. Furthermore, a more interesting part of the composition is that some trees are not evenly lit; some are thrown into shadows while others catch the light. It looks like the clouds are in front of us, which gives the photograph a great texture.
Untitled #12 is a winter morning in Pipestem, with its composition filled with a vast, dense amount of trees confined by the hills above them. We are moved downwards towards these trees to see their repetition and the texture that they create in the composition; we are thus invited to feel the forest as it is intended, where it seems endless yet within our reach.
The lack of the horizon causes the viewer’s eyes to concentrate mostly on the trees and their density- the perspective and the way we are brought to perceive the scene disrupt what we would expect of traditional landscape composition and give a beautifully textured composition. This is furthered by the usage of mostly blues, which make it seem as though the entire landscape has been frozen in time. It also reinforces the coldness one would feel if they were in this scene.
Untitled #11 is a very contemplative scene as it presents a single gnarled tree which stands in the centre slightly slanted enveloped by thick and vast fog. The entire composition is filled with this fog; simply leaving the tree and parts of the ground alone for viewing; thus creating a very solitary scene. We are invited towards the weathered form of the tree which seems to be barely hanging onto its life.
There are slight outlines of other elements in this photograph, such as the slightly darker parts of the fog, which suggest other trees. Yet to this gnarled tree, they remain obscured, out of sight, and swallowed up by the fog. The shape of this tree is worn down and seems to be damaged or aged, but it still stands despite looking as though it has taken a lot of damage throughout its years.