This Photographer Shot the Same Tree for 10 Years

Jul 28, 2025

Matt Growcoot

Three vertical panels: left, a frosty winter scene with a bare tree in snow; center, a single tree beneath vibrant green northern lights; right, a tree at dusk with the crescent moon and clouds in the sky. — Yvan Bedard captured weather, natural phenomena, and celestial events with the elm tree in every shot.

Yvan Bédard has been photographing the same elm tree for over 10 years, capturing it through the wind, the rain, the morning fog, and the fall; beneath the northern lights and under a solar eclipse.

Bédard tells PetaPixel that the very first photo of the elm was in September 2014, when he captured it silhouetted in front of a rising super Moon.

A full moon rises in a pastel twilight sky beside the silhouette of a tall tree, with faint hills and foliage visible along the horizon. — Where it all started in 2014; a super Moon rises behind the elm.

“Trees and rocks are my favourite topics for landscape photography, as I see them as symbols of human life duration vs eternity,” he says. “Furthermore, elms are becoming rare because of the Dutch elm disease. Having a threatened tree next to an everlasting astronomical body conveyed additional meaning to this nature photography.”

The elm tree is located near where he lives in Neuville, Canada, just four kilometers (2.4 miles) from his house. Bédard says he’s drawn to the tree because it “appears lonely” and can be framed by other trees.

“In the following years, I went back to this tree to make other photographs because I liked its direction towards the rising Sun and weather conditions such as morning fog,” he explains. “After a few years, I thought about the possibility of making a series, using this elm as a witness of local natural events.”

A bright comet with a glowing tail streaks across a dark, star-filled sky above a silhouette of trees at dusk. — The NEOWISE comet. ‘I changed my composition to make the tree appear tiny in comparison to the comet’s tail, conveying the feeling of our smallness in comparison to the size of the Universe.’

A hazy sunrise over a field with tall grass and wild plants, with a single tree and bushes silhouetted against a soft pink and orange sky. Mist hangs low, creating a peaceful, dreamy atmosphere. — Morning fog.

Two bare trees stand in a snowy field at dusk, with a soft pink and purple gradient sky in the background. Sparse bushes and grasses dot the white landscape. — Belt of Venus.

A single tree with yellow leaves stands on a grassy hill, framed by two trees with autumn foliage—one brown and one red—against a gray sky. — Colorful fall.

Bédard had to think about which natural events he could capture with the elm in situ. It meant he had to identify the best moment to capture an astronomical or meteorological event, such as a passing comet or the Belt of Venus phenomenon.

“The most challenging shot was that of the partial solar eclipse of June 10, 2021,” Bédard adds. “The eclipse started after sunrise and was at its maximum around 8 AM. The problem was the presence of small bands of clouds. Contrast changed continuously. Sometimes the Sun would be completely hidden, sometimes very little. Most photos made that morning were unusable.”

Bédard ended the project on May 11, 2024, when the aurora borealis shone above the tree; a photo he had been “waiting for years” to capture. “Aurora borealis is not frequent in my village, near Quebec City, in Canada. When they happen, they are rather weak or often behind clouds.”

A crescent sun is partially obscured by clouds during a solar eclipse over a green field, with tall trees and shrubs silhouetted against the dramatic sky. — Bédard says the solar eclipse was the most difficult shot to capture.

Green aurora borealis lights streak across a night sky above a silhouette of bare trees, with one tall tree standing out in the center. The scene appears serene and ethereal. — The final shot of the series — the aurora borealis.

Snow-covered trees and bushes stand in a winter landscape, with bare branches coated in white frost against a pale, overcast sky. The scene is serene and almost monochromatic, evoking a quiet, cold atmosphere. — Covered in frost.

A single leafless tree stands on a snowy field at dusk, silhouetted against a sky that fades from soft pink to purple, with bushes and shrubs along the horizon. — Winter.

Professional photographer Bédard typically exhibits in art galleries around the world, but his exhibition Ten Years in the Life of a Tree in Neuville was shown locally for obvious reasons.

“I wanted to share local wonders that often go unnoticed to awaken the consciousness of our surroundings,” he says. “And I wanted to provide an opportunity for school children visiting the local library to discover and learn about these phenomena.”

Bédard, a retired Emeritus Professor at Laval University, added basic explanations of the natural phenomena occurring in his pictures and says it triggered fantastic reactions in people who did not know such things could happen in Neuville.

“The person in charge of the library told me that a child was very proud to tell her that he saw THE REAL TREE that appeared in the photographs,” says Bédard. “I am very proud of such a contribution to increase the awareness of my fellow citizens and children regarding natural phenomena they did not necessarily know.”

More of Bédard’s work can be found on his website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Image credits: Photographs by Yvan Bédard.