“We all find ourselves reaching for something lately. For some, we have reached our limits, for others, it’s more of a stretch than a reach. On dull and cloudy days, the trees continue to reach, with no clear goal visible, other that reaching upwards, to eventual light and life” – Ed Lehming

I have found myself considering this image several times this week. I recall the day I made it, very clearly. It was an untypical image for me, the only real interest was the upward stretching of the trees. I compared it to other similar images I have made and this one stood apart. The day was dull, grey, and cloudy and I simply enjoyed the contrast of the dark tree trunks reaching into the flat grey sky.

My images are often informed by the world around me and it seemed the very act of ‘reaching’ or ‘stretching’ has been a very real element of my day to day life. The politics and events globally have forced me to expand my understanding, to challenge my established norms. If there has been growth for me, it has been slow, but bit by bit, the growth has occurred.

Going back to the image, it would be fairly easy to tie the growth back to a goal, like the bright sun in the sky. But, in this image, the sun is hidden; diffused. There is no clear goal, simply the obscurity of a grey sky, yet there is growth, based on a need for light and energy, no matter how faint the memory of sunshine might be.

iPhone 12 Pro @ 4.2 mm
1/170 sec, f/2.4, ISO 25