Bonsai through the eyes of someone who possesses the patience and skill to take photographs worthy of the subject

Appreciating bonsai is about feeling. This especially true when you experience the raw power and beauty of the best bonsai up close and personal. They vibrate with aliveness. Lacking this direct experience, the closest you’ll come is through the eyes of someone who possesses the patience and skill to take photographs worthy of the subject. This post is about what happens when you marry quality bonsai with the highest quality photography. The bonsai shown here were all on display at the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo on December 6-7, 2104, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The photographer is Joseph Noga. Our source … Continue reading Bonsai through the eyes of someone who possesses the patience and skill to take photographs worthy of the subject

Once More, This Time with Better Photos

Joe Noga sent me this official photo of his Ho Yoku Award Japanese Maple (see our last post for the unofficial photo). I didn’t mention this before, but, in addition to appreciating the strikingly unusual effect of the upside-down tree, you might linger for a moment on the exquisitely rendered wooden stand In our last post we showed three winners from the 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Problem was, the photos were not the best ones available. The best photos are the official photos, the ones in the Exhibition Album. Now, thanks to Joseph Noga taking the trouble to send … Continue reading Once More, This Time with Better Photos

Time to Come Back Home

The National Award for the Finest Bonsai Masterpiece. Japanese Black Pine, by Scott Elser of Portland, Oregon. It’s vacation time so we’ll resort to borrowing from our archives. I picked this one from January 2013 for a couple reasons: it’s time to come back home after six straight post featuring European and Asian bonsai and our the 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition is coming soon, so I’m hoping that this will provide a little encouragement to those of you who are on the fence. BTW: I was at the last National Exhibition, and even though Bill and his crew took … Continue reading Time to Come Back Home

The Finest of the Fine

This luminous Tensho Satsuki Azalea belongs to Joseph Noga of Winterville, NC. You can find it and the other photos in this post, in Fine Bonsai, Art and Nature. The finest of the fine It’s not that these are the finest bonsai in the world and it’s not that they aren’t either. It’s more the combination of top quality bonsai and top quality photography has resulted in some of the finest bonsai photos you’ll see anywhere. In this vein, it’s important to bear in mind that these digital images, though very good, are inadequate. For the full effect and for … Continue reading The Finest of the Fine

The 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition: The Official Results Are In

The National Award for the Finest Bonsai Masterpiece. Japanese Black Pine, by Scott Elser of Portland, Oregon. For the whole scoop and photos of all ten winners, Bill Valavanis has posted the winners and his comments on the Internet Bonsai Club. The three images shown in this blog have been lifted from Bill’s post. Stay posted here for more on the winners soon. Deciduous Award for the Finest Deciduous Bonsai. Japanese Maple by Suthin Sukolosovisit of Stoughton, Massachusetts. Ho Yoku Award for the Finest Western Display. Japanese Maple by Joseph Noga of Winterville, North Carolina.