Understanding Viewing Angles

[dbonsaiw]

I understand that we will be picking the best angle to present our trees, but am curious to better understand what are realistic goals in respect of the alternative angles. For example, I tend to like how my Stewartia is developing, but only from one specific angle. Every other angle makes me turn away in disappointment. In an ideal world, I would have a best front, but also satisfied viewing my tree from a 360 degree perspective. Is it realistic to like one's tree from all angles or will we usually just have some bad angles of view that we force ourselves to ignore?

 

[Carol 83]

but only from one specific angle. Every other angle makes me turn away in disappointment.

That's how I feel in front of a mirror....

 

[BobbyLane]

If im not satisfied that a tree looks great from various angles, I tend to get bored of that tree very quickly, or ill try to fix it.
Im going to guess that the angle you dont like on your tree has a scar?

 

[Carol 83]

or will we usually just have some bad angles of view that we force ourselves to ignore?

That's what I do. (mirror thing again).

 

[dbonsaiw]

Im going to guess that the angle you dont like on your tree has a scar?

It's usually a scar, but not on this one. I'll try to find some pics, but the tree is very deceptive. It looks one way from one angle, but otherwise that's just not how the tree looks. It's a straight trunk with a 45 degree bend at the middle from all angles except one where it looks like it has much more movement than it actually does.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

My guess is a change in the overall lean of the tree will be able to have that one angle which works right now extend to a wider range of angles. I feel like tree lean is sometimes neglected in this conversation

 

[NaoTK]

Ideally it looks interesting and balanced from all directions, but if your tree has one strong side with a dynamic, unbalanced, action/reaction sort of style then there will necessarily be one front that the style makes sense. Other directions can have branches to fill in the back etc, but the dynamism wont be clear, and that's ok. For example it is appealing to have the tree hunch over toward the viewer a bit, but this looks unbalanced from the side. But ideally you have movement and branches to make it balanced from the side.

If you styled your tree in a balanced way, like a formal upright, then it should be possible for the tree to have 360 balanced appearance.

 

[BobbyLane]

With naturalistic bonsai the aim is to build a tree that looks great from all angles. Trees in nature tend to look good from various angles, you can walk around a wild tree and not be able to pin point a front, but you might have angles of the tree you prefer more than others. Often angles that get the most light have the better development and silhouette, but if you find a tree growing alone with not much competition it tends to look great from all around. Even with traditional bonsai styles the aim should be to build a tree that can be rotated and still look good, often if thats not been achieved, the tree is probably lacking in depth and perspective, branch placement etc.

 

[ChefB]

What does the tree look like? Which side of the tree has the best movement and the widest base? A combination of those two things will usually make your best front. If you keep your branch structure in a left right back type of configuration with front branches in the upper third it seems as though a 360° view is certainly achievable for a majority of trees. Front branches, leave little room to view the trunk. A 360° view with even branch distribution wouldn’t allow you to see the movement/taper in your tree. There’s no reason why your tree can’t look good from all angles, though. Some of my trees make me turn away in disappointment from any angle. My 2¢. Can we see your Stewartia? I’ll show you mine.

 

[BobbyLane]

I think with the traditional bonsai guidelines, what often happens, people can become dissatisfied with their trees very quickly. scars and wounds are scorned upon, with folk not wanting to show their trees from the back or side, concerned someone might see the scar, embarrassed by it even, trust me this is a real thing I see it a lot on here, someone posts a tree and the first thing they mention is the scar, its like their apologising about it. 'I need to heal this wound' 'will this scar heal' 'does this species heal well' etc etc its a shame really, you should enjoy your trees, not made to feel like my tree is inadequate because of this massive wound that will never heal or take 10 years to heal. on the other hand, scars are welcomed and embraced, one learns to appreciate their trees from all angles. just like it is in nature.

 

[rockm]

Funny, There was a long knock down drag out argument decades ago on another bonsai forum that preceded this one about "360 degree" bonsai--Bonsai viewable from any angle. The argument was that bonsai should be best viewed from any side and the tree should be developed that way...

It was silly then, it's silly now. I didn't it understand then, and I don't it understand now, how you can sacrifice "the best" side of a tree in favor of mediocritizing the rest of it. Some trees, obviously, will lend themselves to more than one viewing angle. Some have several. My live oak has at least three. But it definitely has one that is a lot better than the others. I've worked to maximize that angle not enhance the others.

Bonsai 360 – My Chicago Botanic Garden

my.chicagobotanic.org

 

[BobbyLane]

I dont think its silly. If the tree is built properly, it naturally begins to look good from a multitude of angles and shows maturity, especially in the branch structure. you obviously will have better angles than others, thats perfectly cool.

 

[rockm]

I dont think its silly. If the tree is built properly, it naturally begins to look good from a multitude of angles and shows maturity, especially in the branch structure. you obviously will have better angles than others, thats perfectly cool.

There's a difference between "naturally begins to look good from multiple angles" to "let's develop the entire tree so it has no real primary point of view, so it can be viewed from any side"

 

[Cajunrider]

That's how I feel in front of a mirror....

I know better!
I ain't sayin' nutin'.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

To get a general perception of the human eye’s preference in nature, all you’d need to do is wander to a tree somewhere with a camera (phone or otherwise) and take some full-tree shots. Do you tend to photograph some directions more than others? Is this because of what surrounds the tree and its context in that environment or is it because of the tree itself? If I walk around a random tree looking at it I tend to stop at a few places to really take it in. Those are the would-be fronts. The idea that the goal with naturalistic bonsai trees is to view them from all angles seems to not align with my perception of natural trees.

 

[BobbyLane]

There's a difference between "naturally begins to look good from multiple angles" to "let's develop the entire tree so it has no real primary point of view, so it can be viewed from any side"

Take the op's Stewartia for example. I imagine as it starts to fill out and mature, he'll be able to mask bits that he isnt happy about and overtime the branch structure can be improved to a point that it draws the eye away from defincies the tree might have at this point. or maybe he'll never be satisfied with it and eventually move it on. thats cool too.
A tree can naturally begin to look better by simply letting it grow out unchecked and thus allowing more/better options.
Sure, developing it to look great from various angles is as valid as creating a scarless trunk. again, you will often find that some sides or even one side are better than others. thats cool.

 

[Cajunrider]

There's a difference between "naturally begins to look good from multiple angles" to "let's develop the entire tree so it has no real primary point of view, so it can be viewed from any side"

Sometimes things can't be helped. Quite a few of my trees have a natural good side. Of course I try to make my tree the best it can be but that one side will always look better. When I develop the tree I will protect that good side e.g. keeping scars from being fully exposed on that good side.

 

[BobbyLane]

For me it comes natural now, this clump is pre bonsai material but already it has two clear fronts and looks pretty decent from the sides too. and from each angle you can view clearly, all the trunks.
when I arrange branches its not only about the front side, I see how branch placement affects the side angles too. youll see Ryan neil styling trees this way on the lives. This is how its done.