From fantasy and fine art to naturally glowing flora and fauna, these ten tips will help you elevate your forest photography!
Whether you want to take images of beams of light shining through trees or morning haze creeping along the forest floor, this guide will teach you the basics of taking incredible forest photos.
The most important part of mastering forest photography is planning your shot. This includes choosing the time of day you go out so you can use natural light as well as paying attention to the weather, protecting your gear, and being prepared for animals. One of the best parts of photographing in a forest is you don’t need props or extra lighting if you aren’t planning a fantasy shoot. The environment supplies almost everything you need.
Now that you’re prepared to venture into this type of photography, let’s start with the basics.
Get started with forest photography.
Possibilities are endless when it comes to the types of images you can create in the woods. Different seasons, vantage points, and different times of day will all give distinctive looks to your photos. Here are just a few you can try.
Shoot from below. Crouch down low, look up, and see what kind of shot you can get.
- Use a tripod to eliminate shakiness and reduce blur. This is especially helpful if you’re shooting straight up to capture the tree canopy.
- Use a fast shutter speed to freeze details and a small aperture for larger depth of field. An aperture between f/8 and f/16 often works well.
- Use the lowest ISO possible. This can vary greatly depending on the type of light you’re shooting in.
Shoot from above. Get up high, wherever you can safely do so. If you have a drone, you can use it to get some interesting shots of the forest from above. Please don’t stand on the edge of a cliff or high rock unless you’re 100% safe and sure of what you’re doing. Photographers have died trying to get shots this way.
- A narrow aperture can work well for these types of shots.
- Use a fast shutter speed, such as 1/100s, to ensure details are sharp.
Shoot moving water. A babbling brook or a fast-moving stream can create a beautiful image.
- Use a shutter speed of 1/15s or slower to create water that is beautifully blurred. If you prefer to show details of the water, use a fast shutter speed instead.
- A tripod is essential when shooting long-exposure images as the slightest camera movement will create unwanted blur.
- Use a small aperture for a large depth of field.
The camera settings you’ll need vary greatly depending on the time of day, amount of available natural light, and the weather. Don’t be afraid to play around and see what settings work best for your particular situation. Next, we’ll take a look at some tips on shooting in the forest.
Tips for forest photography.
The forest is a unique environment, and shooting there takes a bit more planning. Here are ten tips to help ensure you capture amazing shots.
- Plan ahead. Scouting the area in advance will help you to get a feel for several things: the terrain, the lighting, and the different elements that make the spot unique. If you want to shoot during a particular time, such as golden hour, arrive early so you can see how the light changes in your chosen spot. Also, keep an eye on the weather. In certain areas, like the mountains, the weather can change drastically from one minute to the next.
- Be prepared. Make sure you bring water and snacks, wear good shoes, and have a map of the area. Familiarize yourself with the compass on your phone, or bring a standard one along. If there’s a chance of rain, bring protection for yourself and your equipment. Also, check your cell-phone coverage to see if it extends to your selected location. No one wants to get lost in the woods without a way to call for help!
- Make sure you’re powered up. Bring an extra battery and portable charger for your phone (and camera!).
- Use trees, branches, and other natural elements for framing or leading lines. This will help draw viewers’ eyes to a particular point in your photo and can also help create movement.
5. Try smoke bombs. Used properly and safely, smoke bombs can add a fantasy-like feeling to your forest photography. Create a magical realm from an already magical place. If you add a costumed character, you can create a witch casting a curse or a fairy floating through the flora.
6. Take in different views. Use the environment around you to capture shots from different viewpoints. Climb onto a large rock for a different angle, but only do so if it’s completely safe. Look up, look down, and look behind you. In the forest, each direction can give you a completely different scene.
7. Arrive early. We can’t stress this one enough! Use an app like The Photographer’s Ephemeris to plan the timing of golden hour, blue hour, or twilight. If your app says golden hour will happen at 6:15 a.m., get there at 5:15 a.m. This will ensure you’ll have enough time to get to your location and set up before the magic hour comes and goes.
8. Bring different lenses. A telephoto lens will give you a tighter scene with less distortion (read about how this works here), a wide-angle lens will capture more of the scene in a single image, and a macro lens will allow you to capture tiny subjects with incredible detail.
9. Play around with depth of field. A shallow depth of field will give you a beautifully blurred background behind your subject while a large depth of field will ensure that everything is in focus. Learn more about depth of field here.
10. Use a polarizing filter. This type of lens filter will help colors stand out, reduce unwanted reflections, and filter bright light.
One of the advantages of forest photography is that no two days are the same. The environment is constantly changing, which gives you endless possibilities to generate different images. Remember to respect the environment you’re in. Leave no trace, and always carry out whatever you carry in.
