Live Oak Abstract Study

This series of abstract photography examines live oak trees from a consistent upward perspective, isolating the canopy and branching structure from the ground. By removing the horizon and surrounding context, the images focus on the relationships between trunk, limb, and finer growth. Presented in high-key black and white, this fine art photography simplifies tone to emphasize contrast, texture, and form, moving between more open compositions and denser, interwoven structures while maintaining a cohesive visual approach. All images were made in central Austin, Texas.

Live oak trees are a defining part of the Austin landscape, so ever-present that they’re easy to overlook. Seen more closely, they reveal a striking complexity—wide canopies, twisting horizontal limbs, and layered branching that can feel both ordered and chaotic. Their resilience and longevity make them not just a backdrop, but a subject that rewards closer attention.

The final image, and one of the subjects of this study, departs from the upward, abstracted perspective used throughout the series. It shows the Treaty Oak—believed to be Austin’s oldest tree, estimated to be over 500 years old. Rather than isolating its structure, the image presents the tree in full, acknowledging its presence and history. The last surviving member of a historic grove, it has long been associated with local legend and early agreements between settlers and Indigenous peoples. Today it sits quietly on West 5th Street, tucked within a small urban lot behind a simple chain barrier, an enduring presence hidden in plain sight among surrounding businesses.