Photographing the woodland in summer can be a bit of a challenge. The overwhelming green tones and lack of contrast between the trees often make it harder to pick out strong compositions. Dense foliage — particularly the ferns in my local woodland — also makes it more difficult to stray from the established paths, so exploring new areas can be tough going. On top of that, I prefer to photograph the woodland before sunrise, taking advantage of the softer, diffused light. But those early alarm calls definitely take some of the fun out of it. So it begs the question: why do I even bother?

Despite the difficulties, the summer woodland can be an incredibly rewarding place to be. The vibrant colours, the sounds of wildlife, and the cool early morning temperatures often lift my mood and set a positive tone for the rest of the day. And when the forecast calls for high humidity and little to no wind — the perfect conditions for mist or fog — that's all the encouragement I need to charge the batteries, pack my bag, and set the alarm for another early start.

Even when all the signs point to great conditions for woodland photography, it often doesn’t go the way I’d hoped. But one thing’s for sure: I never regret an early morning walk through the forest — even if the camera stays in the bag the whole time. As I mentioned, whether I take a photo or not, getting out early always gets my day off to the best possible start.

That said, it all comes together now and then — and that’s exactly what happened in early June, when I had a fantastic morning photographing my local woodland in misty conditions.

A misty summer woodland featuring scots pines and green foliage taken by Trevor Sherwin — *Fujifilm XT5 | XF50-140mm | 50mm | 1.5 Seconds | f/9 | ISO400*

The photo above is probably my favourite from the day. This woodland has a mix of trees — from the mighty English oak, the delicate silver birch, to the tall Scots pine. When composing images, I’m often looking to combine different species, as they tend to create interesting contrasts while also complementing each other.

Take the Scots pine in the photo above: it doesn’t have much in the way of gnarly character, but its tall, straight trunk contrasts nicely with the more irregular shapes of the other trees, helping it to stand out, building a stronger, more varied composition.

A high key photo of green leaves against the sky taken by Trevor Sherwin — *Fujifilm XT5 | XF50-140mm | 140mm | 1 Second | f/9 | ISO400*

On most outings with my camera, I’m happy to come home with one — maybe two — photos I’m pleased with and want to keep. But every so often, everything falls into place, and I come back with a much larger set of images I’m genuinely happy with. This was one of those times.

I’ve lost count of how often I’ve been out in great conditions but just couldn’t find a composition. My brain needs to switch into “composition mode,” and no matter how much I try, I can’t force it. My most enjoyable trips — and often my best work — happen when compositions seem to appear on their own, without much effort on my part. It doesn’t happen often, and usually I have to work much harder. But on this rare occasion, the scenes seemed to present themselves without too much hunting.

So, why do I keep setting those ridiculously early alarms during the summer? For mornings just like this one. The quiet, the mist, the soft light—they make the effort worthwhile. Even when the shots don’t come easily, being out there always gets my day off to the best possible start.

If you’re thinking about trying woodland photography yourself, I’d say don’t be discouraged by early starts or tricky conditions. Sometimes the best shots come when you least expect them. Keep exploring, and enjoy the calm of those quiet mornings.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check out more of my woodland photos or share your own experiences in the comments!

Until next time.

Trevor

Photographing a Summer Woodland

Venice in Solitude by Christopher Thomas | My Photo Bookshelf