I’ve been taking photos of the landscape for a number of years now but more recently, I discovered the joy and subsequent benefits of woodland photography. Woodland photography is a beautiful and relaxing way to connect with nature while still allowing me to practice this creative craft I enjoy so much. It encourages me to explore and learn about the wildlife I see and offers a sense of peace and tranquillity, allowing me to escape life’s more hectic demands, even if it’s just for just a few hours.

During this time, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, learned lots of lessons and picked up new skills that have helped me take better woodland photos. So, this blog post is my attempt to share some of those lessons and provide a little inspiration to those who might not be quite as far along in their own woodland photography journey.

So here are my top 10 tips for woodland photography.

Photographing woodland - Tree roots in a misty woodland — Fujifilm XT2 | XF10-24mm | 11mm | 1.5 Seconds | f/10 | ISO400

#1 Photograph the Seasons

There are so many reasons to pay attention to the way a woodland changes over the course of 12 months and being aware of these can open up so many creative possibilities when it comes to woodland photography. One popular example is to find a particular composition that works in all seasons and take the same picture in spring, summer, autumn and winter, creating a ‘through the seasons’ series. This might sound cliché, but some I’ve seen are simply amazing and it’s a useful little project that encourages you to go back to the same place to observe how it changes. To get the best photos, you might have to wait several years to get a portfolio image of a particular season but chasing that shot is part of the fun. I have a few on the go but haven’t quite made it to all four yet.

Alternatively, knowing how your local woodland changes through the year may also open up new photographic opportunities. There will be places that lack photographic allure in (let’s say) summer but come alive with opportunities at other times of the year. For instance, in my local woodland, there is a lot of fern growth which means parts of the forest are completely cut off in the summer months but from late autumn to late spring, those areas of woodland are easier to explore with the camera.

Another example is the bluebell picture below. Of course, bluebells in spring are beautiful in their own right but in this particular location, the woodland floor is typically messy with fallen branches and patchy plant life, but, for a few weeks each year, the bluebells completely cover the messy floor resulting in a much cleaner photo.

#2 Photograph the woodland whatever the weather

While perfectly defused golden hour lighting can create beautiful woodland photos, don't be put off by cloudy, or even rainy days with less inspiring light. I for one love to head out into the woodland while the sun is obscured as the softer, diffused light of an overcast day can result in quieter, lower contrast images, helping to create a moody and ethereal feel to your photos.

Even if the sky is blue and there is high contrast, midday light to contend with, don’t let that stop you. Personally, I struggle in such situations but when I do find the light too bright and distracting for my usual style of woodland photography, I will change tact and more often than not, point my camera down towards the ground and seek out small scenes with interesting patterns and details hiding in the shadows and away from those pesky specular highlights. More on that in the next tip!

A birch tree in autumn with bright yellow leaves — Fujifilm XT2 | XF55-200mm | 55mm | 1/8th Second | f/9 | ISO250

#3 Point your camera towards the floor

Getting into the habit of taking pictures of the woodland floor is something I’m still getting to grips with. It took a while for me to move away from the traditional “landscape” style photo and start paying attention to the smaller shapes and textures hiding amongst the undergrowth, but once I did, I never looked back. A year or so into my woodland photography experience, I started heading out into the forest just to see what small scenes I can photograph, completely ignoring the wider landscape photos I usually look for.

With so much texture and pattern on offer, once you get the camera up close to these smaller scenes, you will be able to tap into a wealth of photographic opportunities and although getting down that low can often be a little tough on the back, by slowing down and taking your time to compose the image properly, you will undoubtedly capture some beautiful, intimate woodland photos.

#4 Look out for mist and fog in the woodland

Although it should never be considered the be-all and end-all of woodland photography, I think it’s safe to say that the majority of woodland photographers prefer to shoot in misty/foggy conditions, and for good reason. A scene full of branches and leaves can be a cluttered, messy affair and one of the challenges with woodland photography is simplifying the composition. This is where a foggy woodland comes into its own as not only can a fog add depth and atmosphere to a scene, but it can also help declutter the composition, providing a sense of space and room for the subject to breathe.

#5 Avoid a distracting sky

Unless you are blessed with the defused light of a foggy woodland, there’s a good chance that by including the sky in your woodland photos, you will be left with some distracting highlights around the top of the frame. With the lower light levels under the trees and the bright sky, the dynamic range will be extreme enough to push the limits of most modern cameras. So, what to do if you come across this situation yourself?

Avoiding the sky completely in your woodland photos can be tricky, but one option to avoid it is to shoot from an elevated position. Keeping the camera pointing slightly downhill can cut some or all of the brighter sky out of the frame. Alternatively, if there is space to do so, try stepping back away from the scene and then use a telephoto lens to zoom back in to better isolate your subject.

Lastly, choose a time of year when there are plenty of leaves on the trees. Like with the picture below, during the warmer months, the woodland will be much fuller and as a result, a lot less sky will be included in your compositions.

A summer woodland scene with purple rhododendrons — Fujifilm XT2 | XF55-200mm | 55mm | 1.4 Seconds | f/13 | ISO200

#6 Pack a circular polariser to give your photos some punch

If like me, you enjoy photographing the woodland early in the morning or in damp conditions, you will almost certainly come across wet, reflective leaves in your scene. Reflective light can be pretty distracting in your woodland photos which is why I recommend packing a circular polariser (CPL) filter in your camera bag. A CPL filter works by blocking the reflective light from entering your lens which means less glare and more punchy colours in your woodland images. This effect is practically impossible to replicate in post, so, to get the very best quality pictures in these conditions, it’s definitely worth mounting a CPL onto the end of your lens.

Just a word of caution. A common mistake many photographers make is to automatically turn the CPL all the way; removing all reflective light from the image. This can result in flat, highly saturated pictures. My advice is to rotate the filter back and forward until there is a good balance between eliminating the distracting reflections and retaining some of the life in the scene.

A very green woodland scene taken in late summer with a circular poloriser filter — Fujifilm XT2 | XF18-55mm | 29mm | 2 Seconds | f/10 | ISO200

#7 Remember, the woodland is always changing

These two images below were taken in separate woodlands and are among my favourite woodland photos I’ve taken. I’m so happy I found and photographed them when I did because they now look very different as they were both devastated by stormy weather in early 2022.

So, tip number seven is to not take the apparent static nature of woodland for granted. If you find a location worth photographing and conditions are not quite right at the time, don’t wait too long to return. Through the hand of man, or mother nature herself, it can change literally overnight and like in my case, a couple of locations I planned to return to look completely different now.

#8 Get to know your local woodlands

This may seem similar to shooting the seasons or observing the changes in your woodland but getting to know your local woodland goes a lot deeper than that. If you speak to any experienced woodland photographer and they will tell you that knowing a location intimately is by far the best way of getting the best woodland photos.

When heading to new locations or those you can’t visit as often as you like, luck can play a huge part in taking portfolio-worthy pictures as you might not get the best light, or you might not know the best time of day/year to photograph that particular location. Having a local woodland only a short walk or drive from where you live means you remove the need for some of that luck as you can keep returning until the conditions are right. If you live close enough, you can afford to be reactive to the weather conditions and as soon as the fog comes in, you can grab the camera and head out!

Taking it one step further, having the ability to return again and again means the pressure to get a portfolio image on any given trip is removed, meaning you can relax more as you wander the woodland. This will help you slow down and get under the skin of the woodland, helping you fully engage your mind and in turn, spot compositions you might have otherwise walked straight past.

The below four pictures were all taken from the same woodland only 5 minutes’ drive from where I live.

#9 Try different focal lengths

Depending on the subject you are trying to shoot, experimenting with different focal lengths can transform the look and feel of the photos you take.

A wide-angle lens can help you include more of the scene and capture the grandeur of the woodland you’re in, enabling you to include more compositional elements such as an interesting foreground or more dramatic lead-in lines. As appose to using a wide-angle, the telephoto lends itself to seeking out more intimate details, helping you to eliminate distractions and focus on the shapes, colours and texture the woodland offers. As I mentioned in tip #5, when you have a bright distracting sky, this is where a telephoto focal length can save the day.

Play around with different lenses to see which ones work best for the photos you want to take.

#10 Leave no trace

The enthusiasm for the natural landscape is on the rise, particularly since the pandemic as so many people have re-discovered the beauty of their local woodlands. But all this footfall is having a big impact on these important natural spaces. That’s why, through effective education and following a few simple principles, these popular places can still be visited and enjoyed, but remain protected for future generations to experience.

I’ve shared the bluebells photo below as this is a good example of how our actions directly impact these natural spaces. The bluebell is actually a protected species in the UK and picking or digging them up is illegal but not many people know just how fragile they really are. Bluebells can take years to recover from the damage caused by people trampling over them just to take a selfie, and if their leaves are crushed they can be weakened (as they can no longer photosynthesis). This can all be avoided if everyone sticks to the woodland pathways.

Nature First is just one of many organisations trying to help us woodland photographers to keep these natural spaces safe and they have a few simple principles to follow. By doing so, we can all do our part to preserve our beautiful woodlands.

Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography.
Educate yourself about the places you photograph.
Reflect on the possible impact of your actions.
Use discretion if sharing locations.
Know and follow rules and regulations.
Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them.
Actively promote and educate others about these principles.

A springtime woodland with a carpet of bluebells — Fujifilm XT2 | XF55-200mm | 67mm | 1/13th Second | f/9 | ISO200

There you have it, with a few simple techniques and ideas, you can take your own woodland photography to the next level.

I hope this blog post will help anyone that might be lacking some inspiration and the motivation to get out there and take amazing photos of our beautiful, wooded areas. if you have any more tips you want to share, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Until next time
Trevor

My Top 10 Tips for Woodland Photography