rockm

One thing I've learned about this topic is that alot can get lost in photos, especially online photos. Although photos can convey alot, sometimes a tree's "wabi/sabi" has to be seen in-person to get the full impact.

I think this has alot to do with photos only being two dimension and "squishing" a tree into a frame. That forces alot of the nuance that artists aim for out of the composition.

In short, get thee to as many bonsai exhibits (pacific rim, National Arboretum, Kokufu, etc.) as you can. The more good and great trees you see in person, the better able one becomes at recognizing some of the intangible aspects they soemtimes embody.