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The tree is one of the most celebrated objects linked to golf, whether it be a wayward ball hitting one or as a visual backdrop to a picturesque fairway. It has always helped define the essence of the beautiful sport. But sadly, over the last few years, golf-course architects have been eliminating this proud tradition, favoring to build clearer courses instead.
Golf Digest recently enlisted Detroit-based photographer Daniel Ribar to photograph the American Elm tree on the 8th hole at the private Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, as part of their ongoing project of capturing trees on American golf courses.
For the past two years, Daniel has been working on a personal project with Detroit non-profit group “Golf. My Future. My Game” that teaches kids golf, which Golf Digest ran a story on. So impressed by his work, they stayed in touch with Daniel after that.
I think that Golf Digest editor Ben Walton felt that I was a good candidate for this job because of the portrait work I’d done with the kids. We discussed the idea of approaching this assignment as if I were making a formal portrait of the tree itself.
Daniel’s unique technique of blending traditional documentary work with fine art matched the project. As golf is one of the purest human experience art forms, a golf player’s canvas is their fairway. And just as a photographer presses the shutter to create a masterpiece, so does a golfer when they swing in the process of hitting a shot. Yet the concept of blending art and golf has rarely been explored. Daniel’s tone on this project empowered this union and to remarkable results.
Having played golf since childhood and considering it a very important aspect of his life, Daniel found this project particularly special. Which was beneficial to understand the vital nuances of the project.
I think a lot about photography when I play golf, and I always have a small camera in my bag. I like to look at the trees and plants that make up the courses. All of this prior experience helped me ease into the project.
Golf Digest tasked Daniel with capturing one iconic image of the tree at the prodigious Oakland Hills Country Club. To truly exhibit its vastness, Daniel decided to shoot in black and white, which highlighted the graphic qualities of the tree and helped direct focus to its overall form.
The clear morning sky in the black and white images makes it feel like the tree is sitting on a giant set — akin to how Avedon would place his subjects in front of the white and let the focus be on them for dramatic effect.
GD had only asked for one image, but I wanted to give them options, and I liked the idea of focusing on a series of images showing the tree differently. Of course, they needed a wide expansive shot showing the environment the tree lived in, but I wanted to show tighter shots as well. I knew I wanted to include something for scale. The tree is massive, but that gets lost when there’s nothing in the frame to compare it to. Leaving the man with the leaf blower in the frame really shows just how large the Elm is. I was lucky enough to be out early with the grounds crew.
Arriving at the tranquil golf course at 5.30 am, Daniel immediately began shooting the tree in the morning light.
I walked around the tree and looked at it from as many locations as possible before the sun was where I wanted it. I spent about 90 mins studying and photographing the tree.
The early start allowed Daniel to embrace the glorious Michigan morning. Akin to the calm before the storm, walking around the empty course without the clamor of bustling golfers was a compelling view for Daniel.
The energy was complete calmness. It was perfectly still that morning; a few grounds crew members were working quietly, but other than that, it was silent. The dew-covered ground showed my path as I left perfect footprints wherever I walked. It was a meditative experience being out there working alone.
Golf Digest liked Daniel’s images so much that they ran three of them and made it the leading story. And ever the idealist, Daniel even examined the notion that golf is the combination of art and science in his work for the project.
I wanted to show the size of the tree, as well, and focus on smaller details – the texture of the bark, the animals and insects that inhabit the tree, etc. I was also interested in the shadows it cast and how they moved across the golf greens, constantly changing the environment. It was fun to approach it in almost a forensic style photographically. I wanted to isolate some of the tree in my studio – I took pieces of bark and fallen leaves to photograph later on white which felt almost scientific.
It was a cumulative set of small things that really added up to make it so enjoyable for me. The quietness of the summer morning, the immaculate condition of the course, the stillness of everything. Ben was extremely kind and open to allowing me to explore the work.
Daniel took a lot from this project which will certainly aid his future projects.
I learned that it’s important to reach out to editors and publications that I’m passionate about. I love shooting all subjects, but it’s a special feeling when I’m assigned to photograph something close to me. This job was directly in line with the personal work I shoot for myself, making it feel extremely intuitive.
See more of Daniel’s work on his website.
Credits
Photo Editor: Ben Walton