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A forest is an
area with a high density of trees. Forests can be
found in all regions capable of sustaining tree growth, at altitudes
up to the tree-line, except where rainfall is too low, or natural
fire frequency too high. Forests are essential to life on earth.
They generate oxygen, store carbon, play host to a vast variety of
wildlife and provide us with raw materials. In addition they offer
us beautiful havens of rest & recreation. Each season casts its
own special spell from the freshness of spring to the fullness of
summer from autumn's kaleidoscope of colours and full circle to
winter's frosty fingers.
The nature of the forest’s
surroundings presents special problems to the photographer. Below
are some ways to cope with its demands:
Use a tripod: light
levels are likely to be lower in a forest, so a steady tripod and
automatic shutter release are good investments.
As with all
photography, use your eyes effectively in framing the composition.
Forests can look a muddle in photos, but if you take a few steps in
one direction or another, you may find things become clearer. You
need to identify a focal point for your picture. If nothing stands
out, you could consider putting a person into the landscape; this
will also have the useful effect of showing the scale of tree
trunks and distances. But the focal point should not just be random
– it should be a point of interest that you want to draw attention
to.
Using a telephoto lens will give the illusion that the trees
are closer together than they are. Depth of field is crucial in any
nature photography: a wide aperture gives a shallow depth of field,
and a small aperture means lots of depth to the focus. Once you
know this you can make the main subject stand out from its
background, and have the background nice and soft, or choose to
show the subject in its context by keeping the background in focus
too.
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