Magic Hour Tree / Photo by John Fraim

Simplicity and Beauty / James Moody

Art and creativity sometimes works at levels connecting other times and places, people and things together. Somewhat in the way the Carl Jung’s concept of synchronicity works. As he defines it, “Meaningful coincidences” in life. It is one of his late interests in life and the topic of one of his last books titled Synchronicity. Jung’s theory has much in common with ancient Chinese symbolism in the Tai Chi. There is also a strong influence of the ancient law in symbolism known as the law of Correspondence.

The short story of connections between a favorite painting and artist and a recent piece of my own art in the way of a photograph. I posted the photo alone to my various social media and receive great feedback. So much appreciate this feedback received from readers like you out there. As a response to this photo, I post here the inspiration for Magic Hour Tree from a leading American painter who captured the constant battle between light and darkness. First, a short background.

A few months ago, I had a large canvas print made for our home in Colorado. The print was one of my very favorites. It was “Storm in the Rockies” an oil painting by Albert Bierstadt in 1866. The areas of the painting is Mt. Rosalie in the Rockies not too far from our home in Colorado. As a photographer as well as an author on the topics of symbolism, the 1866 painting captures for me the western vision of America at this time. The movement west at a high. And, symbolically, light is towards the right in a horizontal line while darkness on the left. The symbolism relates to the all-encompassing darkness or the feminine archetype and the defining (focused) lighted aspects of the masculine archetype.

The painting expresses the vision of light beyond the storm clouds hanging over the Rocky Mountains in 1866. The light is in some passage or gap in the mountains. It beckons towards a way forward.

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Isn’t this always the case with our lives? A certain light pulling one forward in life. A sign from the heavens?

I bought the painting at my favorite discount canvass place. It was something like 36″ x 48″ in size. Shipped to our new home in Colorado. It came when we were out at the house last summer and I hung it up in my new office. The only thing on the wall. Hard for anything else to compete with it. My favorite photo blown up to a size somewhat appropriate to its size in my mind.

When we came back to our home in Ohio, I was involved in a number of projects. I made some filmsetting the new GoPro Mission 1 Pro cinema camera. I posted much to our YouTube channel of Midnight Oil. Wrote a number of posts to the blog. Started some longer projects. Soon it was October and the approach of fall. I had been walking in the cool mornings of late summer in Ohio.

I took photos around our home and the nearby park. But I had many photos of this area and it time for something new. I thought of the old Thompson farm and its farmhouses. And the photos I took seven or eight years ago and posted to NextDoor Neighbor. The photos received thousands of views and many comments. I don’t think I was supposed to be there at the farmhouse that afternoon but there were no signs when I pulled into the old brick farmhouse and its buildings in the back. The city of New Albany was preserving the farm and its buildings but was sure it was OK to get some photos and then leave. The day was beautiful with no clouds. Some time in early spring. April I believe.

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I”ve been interested in history for a long time. I majored in it in college and when we lived in the California Desert, was an active member of the Palm Desert Historical Society. Living back in Ohio now. Joined the historical society here in NwAlbany for a year and read up a lot about the history of New Albany. I learned about the Easly Home and the Thompson Farm. The two are the key surviving structures of our town’s history.

For a few decided to visit the old Thompson Farm park again. Maybe, the first time in a year. I had gone a number of times when it first opened but had not been for a time. Amazing to see the improvements made to the park and the number of people using the park. To think, a few years ago, this was all an abandoned old famous and its outer buildings and its vacant farm fields to the east. The city has had the park open a few years and I’ve been there a number of times even though about a mile drive from our home. But it’s enjoyable walking the paths between the tall plants of the wetlands area composing most of the park.

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The other day, I decided to go to the park at what photographers call the Magic Hour (get the app). The magic hour are those hours when the light of the sun shines directly on objects of the world. Always about an hour in the morning hours and an hour in the evening hours. I arrived around 6:30 pm at the park and walked the trails taking photos. Many families out with their kids on bikes or couples jogging. The areas was a big success and I was happy to see the rising popularity of it since its first days when I first started coming here.

I took shots of the playground through the tall plants of the wetlands area. I took photos over the fields of the wetlands. I had about 15 or so when I saw a tree on the way to my Jeep that was backlit by the fading sun. The backlit was strong in the fading light of the day. I had my light SmallRig triple with me and my Sony RX 10 attached and ready to go.

I stepped off the trail back to the parking lot and took the Magic Hour Tree (at top) which is backlit by the sun. This is in the opposite direction the other photos taken. The only one in the opposite direction than all others during that Magic Hour evening of shooting in the park.

That is, with the sun at my back and facing east. The Magic Hour Tree shot facing closely into the sunlight of Magic Hour. This huge amount of light is blocked by the tree.

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Using the HDR setting on the Sony and processed in Photomatix Pro 7. Then, the reprocessed again in Photomatix Pro 7 adjusted slightly and produced in the above. Have been one of the early users of Photomatix and have learned not to overprocess HDR unless it brings out a particular vision of the artist. Seems a fair request.

All the photos taken were processed. The backlit tree (the Magic Hour Tree above) captured very randomly on my way to the end of the evening’s shooting session in the park, on my way to the parking lot, stood out from the rest in the HDR potential of the photo. To me, this meant the greatest (and most interesting) contrast of light. Over the years using the incredible Photomatix Pro software (now Photomatix Pro 7). A huge thanks to them.

After the processing of the of The Magic Tree images through Photomatix Pro 7, I decided to reprocess it again. I came out with the above. I looked at it and knew that it was perfect in that it perfectly represented the image I suddenly say (was briefly revealed to me?).

In that scene so much a product of a coincidence at the last moment. Perhaps these moments are the most important? The events of greatest coincidence in life? I wondered what was behind me taking this particular photo? Nothing really. Just a whim. A quick step off the trail into the grass and opening the tripod with the Sony on it.

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On examining the completed photo, I’m surprised. Even somewhat amazed, at how close the “Magic Hour Tree” photo resembles Bierdstadt’s painting “Storm in the Rockies.” An 1866 painting. A 2026 photo. I’m reminded of something Carl Jung once said: great symbols never change rather, express themselves wearing the “clothing” of the day.

Maybe the Magic Hour Tree is another expression of what Bierstadt was trying to express in his Storm in the Rockies. Jung’s “clothing of the day” expressing a great symbol in the technology of the day. Here, using the leading HDR software and the great little Sony RX 100.

Light is around the corner is a major symbol in the photo. Not a direct light coming right at one. Rather, a light coming from behind a tree. The tree in the Magic Hour Tree acts as a similar symbol as the mountains in the right from the painting. Both are blocking out direct viewing of the “light” of the sun.

For me, the painting has always possessed such a positive message. Heading into the light of the future. Not a darkness of a past. Rather a light. Just around a corner one can see up ahead. Although storm clouds are all about the painting in the darkness of the left. It seems to me that the symbolism of Bierstadt’s painting and my getting a print on canvass of it for my office wall, this symbolism was lingering in my mind. A painting from 1866 and a photo from 2026.

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The Magic Hour Tree photo was really a relatively spontaneous action at the last second. Before heading for the parking lot. One of those fringe pieces of time, caught by chance. These fringe pieces are the most important yet the least listened to. I was pleased with the photo as it expressed a modern photographic expression of my favorite painting. Just 160 yeas apart.

Perhaps the painting in the modern “clothing” of a photograph. An old symbol translated to a new medium and expressed in a different way. The symbolism Albert Biersstadt was attempting to communicate in his paintings. Particularly, his “Storm in the Rockies.”

There is little question there is a similarity in the two images caught in two different mediums by two different artists … 160 years apart in life from each other.

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Appreciate the thousands who have viewed the above photo on this website and other social media. Appreciate the comments from everyone.

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Storm in the Rockies / Oil Painting by Albert Bierstadt / 1866