There is a tree that has stood on a hill in a farmer's field, just a few miles from my home. For many years I passed it and enjoyed its presence in the landscape. There was something about its solitary position that always caught my attention.
Around fifteen years ago, I finally photographed it. I captured the tree and the surrounding landscape, then returned to the sky to photograph the details I wanted to bring together in the final composition.
The image became A New Unity, with its simple message:
"When you're forced to stand alone, you realise what you have in you".
Last year, I drove along the little lane at the foot of the hill and discovered that the tree had been cut down, leaving only a stump. I felt a genuine sadness seeing something I had admired for so many years reduced to so little.
But nature has a way of reminding us that endings aren't always what they appear to be. This spring, new shoots began emerging from the stump.
Perhaps the tree's story isn't finished after all.
For me, A New Unity has become much more than a photograph. It is a reminder of resilience, renewal and the quiet strength that can exist even when everything appears to have been taken away.
