Woodland Exploring

Woodland photography is a notoriously difficult genre to master and its certainly one that I’ve struggled with over the years.
Making sense of the chaos seems to be the main cause of the difficulties but over the years I’ve picked up a few tips and have improved with experience. Finding a great woodland or forest is the first thing to get right. Not every clump of trees is going to be photogenic. If you can find a woodland with characterful trees, then you are well on your way to capturing an image you will be proud of.
Finding a “character”, a tree or scene that stands out from the crowd, that tells a story, is the next step in the process. I often find these compositions when conditions are far from ideal but making a note of the locations is really useful. Returning when everything is perfect. The season, the weather and the light.

When it comes to weather conditions in woodland photography, it’s often a case that worse is better! Drizzle makes foliage shine. Fog and mist create separation between the trees and the cluttered background.
On this adventure there was just the slightest haze in the air, so things could certainly be better. Never admit defeat and make the most of what you have - in this case I tried a different technique to help separate the background. Using a really fast lens (50mm f 1.4), I was able to take advantage of the amazingly shallow depth of field to create the images here.

This was a tale of two totally different woodlands, with very different moods to them.
I think they may make perfect locations for a workshop in the future. Get in touch if you might be interested.