Sweet gum trees are stunning deciduous trees that make for beautiful photography subjects. Their star-shaped leaves, interesting bark, and spiky seed pods create visual interest throughout the seasons. Here’s a guide to capturing fantastic images of these unique trees.
Getting to Know the Sweet Gum
The sweet gum tree, also called liquidambar, is a large, fast growing tree native to North America and Asia. There are several species, including the American sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), the star of many great landscape images.
These trees are named for their aromatic sap. Their leaves are distinctively lobed, with five to seven pointed star-shaped leaflets. The leaves turn vibrant shades of red, orange, purple and yellow in autumn.
Sweet gums also produce prickly round seed pods called gumballs. These can be messy in the landscape but add great texture in photos.
Shooting Sweet Gum Trees Year Round
Sweet gums offer great photographic potential in all seasons:
Spring
Capture the fresh new leaves as they unfurl against a blue sky. Sweet gum foliage has a tropical look when the leaves first emerge.
Close up images of the small greenish yellow flower clusters will show the subtle spring blooms, Backlighting brings out the colors
Summer
The large, glossy green star-shaped leaves look beautiful backlit by the sun. Focus on the distinctive leaf shape.
Feature the architectural branch structure and bark patterns in your compositions Side lighting emphasizes texture,
Fall
Sweet gum foliage turns a vivid mix of autumn hues. Photograph the intense reds, purples, oranges and yellows against a blue sky.
Try using a polarizing filter to enhance saturation. Sweet gums hold their leaves late into fall for extended color.
Winter
The knobby seed pods clinging to bare branches create striking silhouettes. Use a wide aperture to blur the background.
Capture the unique form of the tree and branching structure. Low winter sun angle adds drama.
Tips for Photographing Sweet Gum Trees
Here are some tips for taking great photos of these photogenic trees:
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Use a macro lens to zero in on the star-shaped leaves, interesting bark and spiky gumball pods.
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For portraits of the whole tree, use a wide angle lens to emphasize the broad, pyramidal form.
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Compose vertically to highlight the tree’s height and upward branching shape.
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Seek out backlighting to illuminate leaves and bark textures.
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Set a small aperture (f/11 or higher) for maximum depth of field.
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Focus a third into the scene for sharpest foreground to background.
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Use a tripod for super sharp landscape shots and long exposures.
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Polarizing filters boost color and cut glare for clearer shots.
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Shoot in RAW format for more editing options like white balance and saturation.
Ideal Locations to Photograph Sweet Gums
Sweet gum trees grow across eastern North America in zones 5-9. Look for them along streets, in parks and yards, and at nature preserves. Other top spots include:
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Botanical gardens and arboretums like Bodenham Arboretum in England.
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College campuses, which often have mature specimen trees.
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State and national forests, especially in the southern U.S. states where sweet gums thrive.
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Suburban neighborhoods where they’re planted as shade trees. Seek out fall color.
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Flood plains, marshes and lake edges where they grow naturally.
Post Processing Sweet Gum Photos
A few editing tips will help your sweet gum images pop:
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Boost contrast slightly to add drama.
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Increase vibrance and saturation for bolder, richer color.
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Use radial filters to isolate foliage and draw the eye.
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Darken blacks with tone curves for added depth.
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Use texture overlays to accentuate intricate bark patterns.
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Remove distractions by cloning out background elements.
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Crop tightly around centered leaves or gumballs.
Showcasing the Beauty of Sweet Gums
With striking leaves, interesting seeds pods and elegant branching, sweet gum trees are highly photogenic. Their excellent fall foliage color also provides beautiful photography opportunities.
Look for them in parks and natural settings, and take time to photograph in each season. Use lighting, composition and camera techniques to highlight their unique features. With a little practice, you’ll be capturing fantastic images of these captivating trees.
NASA Moon Trees – Sweetgum – GLOBE Observer
The Apollo 14 Missions Sweetgum Moon Trees and other sweetgum trees grow in the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Please note that sweetgum trees are commonly used in landscaping and may be found in parks, arboreta, yards, and other locations well-outside their native range.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also called redgum, sapgum, starleaf-gum, or bilsted, is a common bottom-land species of the South where it grows biggest and is most abundant in the lower Mississippi Valley. This moderate to rapidly growing tree often pioneers in old fields and logged areas in the uplands and Coastal Plain and may develop in a nearly pure stand. Sweetgum is one of the most important commercial hardwoods in the Southeast and the handsome hard wood is put to a great many uses, one of which is veneer for plywood. The small seeds are eaten by birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. It is sometimes used as a shade tree. (Source: USDA Forest Service 
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How to identify sweetgum trees:
Sweetgum trees are deciduous trees with green star-shaped leaves that grow toward the tip of the twigs and have 5-7 lobes. It has rough, ridged brown to brown-gray bark, is typically tall and shady. The tree produces globe-shaped, spiky fruit that ranges in color from green during the growing season to brown in the fall. Learn more:
Several free apps will help you identify tree species, including LeafSnap , iNaturalist , or Pl@ntNet .
All about Sweet Gum Trees
FAQ
Are sweet gum trees good for anything?
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Georgia Wildlife Resources Divisionhttps://georgiawildlife.comOut My Backdoor: In Defense of the Sweetgum TreeTo begin with, the sweetgum is actually an important timber tree. … Sweetgum wood is used to make veneer, plywood, cabinets and furniture. The gum from these …
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PubMed Centralhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govSweetgum: An ancient source of beneficial compounds with modern …Abstract. Sweetgum trees are large, deciduous trees found in Asia and North America. Sweetgum trees are important resources for medicinal and other beneficial c…
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WunderWoodshttps://wunderwoods.comThe Great Sweetgum Debate – WunderWoodsAug 31, 2021 — First, a bit about sweetgum trees for the uninitiated. They are native to the U.S. and Missouri. They are hardy, low-maintenance trees that currentl…
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Bates Collegehttps://www.bates.eduSweetgum | Bates CanopyMoreover, the leaves are an amazing star shape,, which is not too common among trees in New England. The aforementioned qualities all make sweetgum the supersta…
Is there a difference between a gum tree and a sweet gum tree?
In Florida, we have two kinds of trees commonly called gums, sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and the tupelos (Nyssa spp.). These are unrelated trees that are called gums for entirely different reasons. Sweet gum got its name in the way we might expect, from its sticky sap.
Do sweetgum trees drop balls every year?
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Annual Fruit Production:Sweetgum trees are known for producing a high number of spiky seed capsules, which mature and fall off the tree throughout the fall and winter.
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Fall and Winter Drop:The gumballs typically drop starting in the fall and continue to drop into early spring, according to North American Tree Service.
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Seed Dispersal:The balls contain tiny seeds that are dispersed by wind and animals.
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Nuisance Potential:The gumballs can be difficult to clean up, make mowing challenging, and can be a tripping hazard.
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Tree Treatments:Some tree services offer treatments to reduce the number of balls a tree produces, but these typically involve applying a spray or injection just before the tree flowers in the spring, according to North American Tree Service and need to be repeated annually, according to Davey Tree.