It’s getting to that time of year again for folks in the northern hemisphere. The days are getting shorter, and wetter and the sun’s starting to stay a little lower in the sky, but with that comes the beginning of autumn and some beautiful woodland colours. This time of year is rich with colour and just begging to be photographed. If you’re planning to brave the chilly weather and head out with your camera into the wilderness, here are 10 tips from Photo Tom to help get you going in the right direction.
Block the sun with tree trunks – you don’t have the dynamic range to include it in the shotExplore the location for different angles – don’t just go with the first or most obvious spot you findLook for cold humid nights and warm sunny mornings – if you want sun rays!Create frames inside framesPlace yourself in areas of darkness – to avoid unwanted flare and increase contrastLook for reflections in things like puddles and poolsUse a polarising filter – it’ll increase saturation in the leaves and reduce glareExpect the unexpected – nature can surprise you when you least expect it, so keep your eyes openHard light… go inside the woodland – when the sun’s high in the sky, head deep into the woodsLook for streams of water – particularly s-curves to create some ground interest
It’s a great set of tips and it foregoes the usual generic “make sure you’ve got spare batteries and memory cards” type things you usually see on lists like this. It’s some real practical advice and Tom presents examples of images he’s created while explaining each of the tips.
I know I’ll be out with my camera in the woods very soon. How about you? What’s your top woodland photography tip?
