Couples | The Bold, The Beautiful, The Bronchial Tree

I’d been pondering about photographing Michael and Geena for a long time. I dug their bold style, playful nature, and great hair. However, it wasn’t until Katelyn of Treolo Photography approached me about mentoring that I decided to use the opportunity as an excuse to do just that. I choose two locations I knew would compliment them; both brightly colored areas with flowers and an urban vibe that suited them well. I wanted something more though, and when pictures of a pink glittering tree appeared on my Facebook feed I knew I’d found my last spot.

The pink tree is actually Tree, Broken Tree, an installation by artist Dylan Mortimer, as part of the city wide art’s initiative, Open Spaces. I saw the artist refer to the tree as a bronchial tree in lieu of it’s more poetic title, and I liked that so much I began calling it that myself. You can read more about it’s meaning in detail in this lovely interview with the artist HERE, but to summarize: the tree is a personal work about the artist’s life long disease, recent lung transplant, and being able to really breath again.

Not to subvert the intended meaning, but when finding out more about this installation I liked how that personal concept translated to the idea of love and commitment. How we find each other and relearn and reexamine ourselves, how we elicit harm and growth within relationships, and how a part of ourselves that existed before we found our perfect counterparts will always remain. A dying tree, a transplanted lung, a romance, a relationship; all things fragile, yet learning to survive.

It’s also a pink glittery tree, and that’s pretty cool just in and of itself.