FERN

CORNWALL, UK, 2025

Cornwall is full of aliens. The mild, almost subtropical, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico creates much rain and seldom frost. This unique climate creates conditions suitable for many non-native plant species to thrive.

Urban parks are green cities within cities. Melting pots of foreign flora from all parts of the world. Jumbled and mismatched together, creating a botanical circus. This strange fern was a performer in this spectacle. 

It's the leaf of Dicksonia antarctica, a fern tree native to Eastern Australia. It thrives in damp, moist forests. This town park was not a forest, but it was damp and moist. This made it difficult to film a wide shot of the trees, as it was dark. There was too much tension.  

I was pushing my camera to the edge of its capabilities. Instead of making a cluttered wide frame of these trees. I honed in and focused on the tip of a single leaf. 

This encapsulates the delicate and edgy patterns of the plant. The shade allowed a clean, dark background that I love. 

As Andy Warhol said, 'Empty space is never wasted space.' With this philosophy in mind, I placed my subject on the extreme edges of the frame. Allowing the plant to breathe. 

I always think about how I can make my art different. In this instance, I overexposed the subject. Creating a stark contrast. I did this to reflect the sense of unease I felt with these magnificent aliens. They shouldn't be here and look ominous at dusk, but are stunning. 

"I WAS PUSHING MY CAMERA TO THE EDGE OF ITS CAPABILITIES. INSTEAD OF MAKING A CLUTTERED WIDE FRAME OF THESE TREES. I HONED IN AND FOCUSED ON THE TIP OF A SINGLE LEAF.

–JACOB J. WATSON-HOWLAND

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