Ever tried photographing forests, if not it is one subject that one should definitely give a try. It’s a real challenge especially for a beginner, one perfect to put one’s photographic skills to test. From a distance forests look very attractive or shall we say photogenic, but once you enter the forest you will be lost, suddenly you’ll find lacking in ideas as to how to frame the scene so as to capture its beauty, its vastness, the lush green, the humidity, and the overall ambiance. Here are some quick fix solutions to help you save the day.
Exclude the Ground
More often than not forest floors are a mess, dead leaves, fruits, branches, fallen tree trunks, animal droppings and what not; such a clutter seldom contributes to a fine image. So when photographing forests, if you have a cluttered, unattractive forest floor, exclude it from your frame, shoot from a low angle with the camera slightly tilted upwards, voila…. Better forest shots right off the bat.
On the contrary if you have a very attractive forest floor, by all means feel free to include it in your shots.
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| Photo by: Ken Douglas |
On the contrary if you have a very attractive forest floor, by all means feel free to include it in your shots.
Shoot Early in the Morning
Shooting early in the morning has many advantages, chances are more that you will get some fog or mist which would vastly improve the ambiance of the shot, light during those times will be soft, and when the sun comes up if you have mist, fog or smoke in the scene chances are you’ll get some cool light streaks which in itself could make a beautiful shot.
Use a Polarizing Filter
Using a polarizing filter will vastly improve your forest shots as it will help you get more saturated colours and also capture more detail by eliminating surface reflections from the leaves.