Tree Week: Sarah Hood Salomon: Under the Overpass

Tree Week: Sarah Hood Salomon: Under the Overpass by Aline SmithsonOctober 19, 2026

©Sarah Hood Salomon, Copycat, from Under the Overpass

We tend to notice trees when they are beautiful, enormous, or planted exactly where we expect them to be. The trees that grow in the cracks of a city, under freeways, beside construction sites, or in whatever scraps of dirt they can find are easier to overlook. But perhaps those are the trees worth paying attention to. They have adapted to a landscape that was never designed with them in mind, quietly making a place for themselves alongside the rest of us.

Sarah Hood Salomon‘s Under the Overpass looks closely at these overlooked trees and the strange, often uneasy relationship between nature and the cities we build. There is something almost human about their persistence—bent, constrained, surrounded by concrete, yet continuing to grow. The photographs invite us to slow down and consider these trees not simply as part of the urban landscape, but as witnesses to it. They have been there through construction, neglect, change, and expansion, quietly recording a neighborhood’s history while adapting to whatever comes next. There is beauty in that resilience, but also a reminder that survival is not the same thing as being cared for.

An interview with the artist follows and for the next 3 days, Salomon will contribute features to Tree Week.

©Sarah Hood Salomon, Shadows and Silhouettes, from Under the Overpass

Sarah Hood Salomon is a fine art photographer, whose work is based on quiet observation of trees within urban environments. Her images tell stories of their survival, Trees are sometimes viewed as a nuisance, but many cities are taking steps to ensure their protection. The relationship is a complicated one.

Sarah’s award-winning images have been included in numerous solo and group shows throughout the U.S. Sarah is also a photography judge, curator, author and lecturer. She received her MFA in photography from Maine Media College. Her work is represented by Multiple Exposures Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

Instagram: @sarahhoodsalomon

©Sarah Hood Salomon, Two Dead Trees, from Under the Overpass

Under the Overpass

My work is rooted in a deep admiration for the remarkable adaptability of trees. Our human judgment categorizes certain trees as beautiful, while others are perceived as ugly, dangerous, or invasive. This project, Under the Overpass, examines the complex relationships between humans and the natural environment and the many ways in which trees acclimate to human encroachment in urban areas.

It is my belief that every tree holds a story. Whether struggling to survive in a small patch of exhausted dirt or encased in scaffolding shielding it from construction, trees are a living history of their neighborhoods and a microcosm of our changing world. They are an essential part of cleansing urban air, and reducing the rising temperatures of global warming. The presence of trees softens the harsh lines of a cityscape and reduces anxiety and depression, making our cities a safer place to live.

My aim is to raise awareness of the condition of urban trees and promote the care and preservation of this valuable resource. The challenge is to combine development with sustainability. Despite the encroachment of urban areas, trees survive and evolve at a pace of life that is hard to comprehend. Their endurance and patience with us is commendable.