"This delicate tree, sitting quietly and improbably in the cold waters of Wanaka Lake, is possibly one of the most photographed trees in New Zealand. I have had the great pleasure to visit it several times, and have usually waited in line behind bus loads of visiting tourists before being able to say hello. On this early pre-dawn morning, however, I was delighted to find myself alone, until I discovered some unexpected company in the form of birds, contentedly sleeping on the tree’s branches. My usual M.O. is to make long time exposures so that clouds and water transform into timeless and enigmatic mists. As the emerging light slowly began to appear, I made several such exposures, aware that both the branches and birds were moving. I was waiting for the birds to leave, before I could make what I considered to be a classical Kenna image, which I later printed and titled 'Wanaka Lake Tree, Study 1'.
Several years passed and I was asked by the publisher Atelier Xavier Barral to participate in a series of books they were publishing on birds, 'Les Oiseaux'. I went through my negative files and discovered many unprinted negatives in which birds were depicted, including this image which I subsequently titled 'Wanaka Lake Tree, Study 2’.
I have long felt that aesthetic decisions should never be dogmatic, and should always be challenged and doubted. At the time I made the photographs, I was convinced that the tree 'sans oiseaux" was the stronger image. Now I am less sure. Time has a way of playing with one’s emotions and sensibilities.
Our views sometimes change, precisely because we are alive and changeable, which I find immensely reassuring!"
~ Michael Kenna
Wanaka Lake Tree, Study 2, Otago, New Zealand, 2013
Michael Kenna reflects upon his artistic journey and his evolving perspective on a specific image captured at Wanaka Lake in New Zealand. His account of a solitary pre-dawn encounter with the tree and its unexpected avian companions highlights the patience and dedication required in photography. He humbly admits that his own preferences for a photograph have shifted over time.
Kenna's willingness to challenge his own aesthetic decisions offers a powerful reminder that art should not be confined by rigidity but should remain open to reinterpretation, mirroring the ever-changing human experience. I think both images are genius. Which do you prefer?
