“Canopy Chronicles”
September 12, 2026 - October 24, 2026
The Manos Gallery in New Kensington, Pennsylvania
This collection of photos celebrates the quiet character of trees and invites people to take a minute and notice them in a different way.
Canopy Chronicles is a collection of 24 photographs of trees I’ve taken over the last 18 years. Each picture is a small, quiet moment in the life of the tree—a warm sunset, a foggy morning, a sudden gust of wind—the kind of detail that catches the eye when you slow down and look. The trees come from city sidewalks, backyards, and country roads, shot in different seasons, lighting, and perspectives. Together they feel like a string of gentle reminders: these living things have stories, even if they don’t shout.
Note: There are 25 pieces in this 24-piece collection. The 25th is a piece being offered as part of a charity raffle.
1. Foggy Morning in Boyce Park
Location: Boyce Park, Plum, Pennsylvania
An October sunrise over Boyce Park in Allegheny County. I set out beneath clear skies hoping to photograph the sunrise, but arrived to find a blanket of fog covering the park’s western side. As the sun rose above the tree line, it cast a soft, expansive light across the fog and illuminated the surrounding trees creating a scene better than I imagined.
2. Beneath the Mountain's Shadow
Location: Yosemite National Park, California
An infrared photograph using a 720nm filter taken off of Northside Drive. This is not actually a snow scene, but rather an effect by the infrared camera and filter making the trees and vegetation appear to be white. My personal favorite thing about this photo is how the trees seem to follow the curvature of the ridge.
3. Waking Up in Ohiopyle
Location: Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania
Perhaps the easiest, and one of the more dramatic, forest photos I have ever taken. While biking from Frostburg, MD to Pittsburgh, the first night’s stop was at a campground in Ohiopyle State Park. This was the scene directly behind the campsite. I quite literally rolled out of the tent and took the photo. I was stung by a bee a few minutes later while packing away the tent.
4. Twisted Tree at the Grand Canyon
Location: South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Not too from the Grand Canyon Village along the Rim Trail is this gnarled, contorted tree hanging over the edge of the canyon.
5. A Home Among the Treetops
Location: Boyce Park, Plum, Pennsylvania
Another foggy morning in Boyce Park, this time up near the top of Wildflower Hill (mere feet from the highest point in Allegheny County). The soft lighting allowed me to focus on parts of the tree where I saw this bird house—a friendly reminder that in addition to shade, oxygen, and decor, trees are also home to many different animals.
6. Sunset at McGee Vista Point
Location: near Hume, California
Situated along Highway 180 between Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, McGee Vista Point overlooks an area that has experienced two well-documented wildfires—one in 1955 and another in 2015. The landscape demonstrates nature’s resilience, especially the tree near the center of the frame, whose trunk was visibly scorched by the 2015 fire. Yet it survived.
7. A Starry Night in Joshua Tree
Location: Joshua Tree National Park (near Twentynine Palms, California)
A Joshua tree under the canopy of stars in Joshua Tree National Park as a car streaks by. The tree was illuminated by a camping lantern that was brought along on the journey.
8. A Colorful Place to Rest
Location: McGee’s Mills, Pennsylvania
This picturesque scene of a bench beneath a shade tree in early Octover comes from the banks of the west branch of the Susquehanna River. To add the splendor, just out of the frame (to the right) is a covered bridge. A very nice place to stop for lunch, draw, paint, or read a book under the comfort of this tree’s canopy.
9. Springtime on Craig Street
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Springtime in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh as evidenced by the Cathedral of Learning in the background. The foreground depicts several shops along Craig Street including a bookstore receiving some nice morning light.
10. Journey Through the Rainforest's Veil
Location: Olympic National Park near Forks, Washington
This piece not only attempts to embody the beauty of the natural world but also represents the myriad journeys we all undertake—both across beautiful landscapes and within our own lives. My intent was to convey the richness of the dense foliage and the intrigue of the unknown that exists beyond. This encapsulates a metaphor for life itself; sometimes, we can see far ahead, while at other times, we remain unaware of what awaits us until we muster the courage to seize opportunities to see what awaits on the other side.
11. West End Overlook
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This tree has quite the view, but none of the associated perils like the tree in the Grand Canyon (number 4 in this collection). This image is perhaps the oldest piece in this collection, but one of my favorite photographs for a few reasons. One, it is iconic location in Pittsburgh offering one of the best panoramic views of the city. Two, a personal connection. I grew up very close to this location and have spent many hours at this overlook. Three, since the photo was taken, the trees on the hillside have grown to the point where you can no longer see through the grates on the fence, so it can no longer be taken in this way.
12. Tree Swing in Slippery Rock
Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Another piece with a bit a of personal nostalgia. As a child, this tree was always one of the first signs of the fall season with its bright red leaves. I have been photographing this same tree for over 25 years at this point and really enjoy when the creek gets a little layer of fog on it.,
The tree also had another purpose, as seen in the title. The tree used to have a rope swing with a triangle attached to the bottom and a barrel to stand on to give yourself some height so that you could jump into the creek (and hope you didn’t touch the bottom). The metal triangle and barrel have been removed, but the rope serves as a reminder of a role in a previous life.
13. Gingkoes in the Commons
Location: Allegheny Commons Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Serving as a nice contrast to the previous image, this photograph showcases one of the final signs of fall in the area—often going a week or two (or sometimes more) into November. This ‘tunnel’ composed of the gingko trees on the left and the iron fence separating the park from the railroad, is a great place to take in the fall. However, a walk through this area comes with a price—the smell of gingko berries on your shoes.
14. The Deku Tree
Location: Pfeiffer Beach near Big Sur, California
This tree with its exposed roots and and wide canopy sits on guard of the beach located in Sycamore Canyon. Between the parking area and the beach is a small but dense grove of trees. The evening that we happened to visit had pockets of dense fog, which added to the small forest’s mystique.
15. Keeper of the Dunes
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park near Mosca, Colorado
One unexpected feature of visiting a park known for its sand dunes was finding a small creek with vegetation growing along its banks. Obviously, this transition area comes as the ridge flattens into a dune field before it is exclusively sand for miles. The park is home to the largest dunes in North America, reaching heights of up to 750 feet from base to crest.
Vegetation, such as the kind seen here, helps against erosion by stabilizing the sand with its roots and trapping wind-blown sand, which contributes to dune formation and resilience.
16. Sunset Near Buena Vista
Location: near Hume, California
Traveling along the Generals Highway between Kings Canyon and Sequoia, my wife and I passed old-growth forests, wildfire-scarred landscapes, and expansive vistas. Heading southeast, when she suddenly said, “Look! Look behind us.”
The sky had filled with color. We were nowhere near one of the big open vistas. So, we pulled over, and I found a gap between the trees that perfectly framed the setting sun just before it disappeared below the horizon.
17. Growth and Rebirth
Location: Glacier National Park, Montana
In the foreground, trees both fallen and standing devastated by a wildfire as the area prepares to regrow and recover. In the background, older growth remains untouched and surrounds a waterfall.
Some plants are specially adapted to survive wildfires. Lodgepole pine trees are one example. Along with regular cones, they grow special cones sealed shut with sticky resin. When a fire heats the cones, the resin melts and the cones open, releasing the seeds inside. The seeds spread across the forest floor and grow into many new seedlings. Even if the fire kills the older trees, new lodgepole pines can grow and help the forest recover.
18. Walking with the Giants
Location: Sequoia National Park, California
At first glance, you may not notice the hiker at the base of the Giant Sequoia trees on the Congress Trail. That is because Giant Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth by volume, typically reaching heights of 250–300 feet and trunk diameters exceeding 30 feet. Giant Sequoias grow only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California, between 4,000 and 8,000 feet in elevation.
Much like the last image, there is also evidence of fire in this image. If you look closely at the base of two of the trees in the center of the frame, there are black marks 20-30 feet up the tree. The sequoias are particularly resistant to fire damage because of their thick bark, which can reach up to 2 feet in thickness.
19. Trident of Poseidon
Location: near La Push, Washington
This oddly shaped tree makes a statement with its intimidating, trident-shaped branches. The humidity, frequent rain, and temperate climate combine to add a contrasting softness to the image with the fog, moss, and bright green undergrowth.
20. Branching Out
Location: Trafford, Pennsylvania
Using a drone to capture ice formations in the lake at B-Y Park, a tree with bright white bark in the distance caught my eye. When photographed from directly above the tree, the branches extend in all directions only accentuated by the dark stream and browned grass. A walking path is seen crossing the lower part of the frame.
21. Through Frosted Shadows
Location: Boyce Park, Plum, Pennsylvania
A setting sun, a longer exposure time, and intentional camera movement (ICM) give an abstract effect to this image. The goal was to elongate the branches and expand the color of the sky while keeping the tree in a recognizable form. To capture this image, I moved the camera up and to the left in an attempt to get a long, straight part in the middle of the tree. You can really see the path of the movement in the swing set to the right of the tree.
22. Canyon Junction River Bend
Location: Zion National Park, Utah
An iconic photo location in Zion National Park is this scene from the Canyon Junction Bridge. This tree has appeared in countless photos for many years, and always standing within the Watchman’s view (the mountain directly behind the tree). This cottonwood tree, like many other trees, changes color throughout the year. I was fortunate enough to catch it while it was more of a golden color in late October.
23. Fogbound Solitude
Location: Monroeville, Pennsylvania
A row of trees fades into the fog as a man and his dog disappear along with them. That morning, the fog settled high across the landscape, and I set out to find a line of trees with similar shapes and proportions to create a natural sense of repetition and vanishing depth. It was especially cold, with pockets of dense fog drifting through the park and hardly anyone else around. In fact, this man and his dog may have been the only other visitors that morning.
24. Supported Between Standing Trees
Location: Bethany Beach, Delaware
A beautiful, ever-changing trail winding through prickly pines, where sand, gravel, pavement, and fallen needles create a unique mix of textures beneath your feet. In this section, the soft pine-needle floor feels almost like walking on a carpet. The trees offer more than shelter for trail-goers—they lean on and support one another, creating a quiet display of resilience in the forest.
25. Cherry Blossoms on the Allegheny
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Cherry Blossoms along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail with the Andy Warhol Bridge in the background. Unless you visit the North Shore daily, it can be difficult to catch these Cherry Blossoms in full bloom. Catching them in full bloom with a very calm river, a clear sky, and just after sunrise for just a touch of soft, golden light can be quite the challenge. For me, this scene screams “springtime in Pittsburgh.”