Isn’t the weather absolutely beautiful this time of year? With such beautiful scenery in our parks, now is the time to take advantage of your developing photography skills. One of the most popular questions we receive at Learn Photography Canada is “How do I photograph leaves and trees?” There are definitely some industry tips and tricks for making leaves and trees look most appealing. Here are 5 of our best tips:
When photographing trees and leaves, you can have a lot of fun with different angles. Try laying on the ground and photographing upwards toward the sky to get the contrast of the leaves and branches against the sky. Or, do the opposite and climb up into your favorite tree. Play with taking pictures from the top down to see if you capture anything interesting. Even a basic-looking tree in your backyard can become extremely interesting when you look at it from some different angles.
A long lens, or long-focus lens, is a great tool for photographing a large scene with many trees. This lens will magnify the trees in the distance to create a beautiful overall look. Experiment with different lenses in your kit depending on the type of scene you are shooting.
Trees and leaves have intricate patterns when you take the time to stop and look. Walk through different parks and examine the different patterns you find in nature. Maybe the trunk of a tree makes a striking pattern, or you find a leaf with every color of the fall foliage. Every tree and every leaf is unique, and these details are what make for distinctive photographs.
Sometimes, photographers like to include human subjects within natural photography in order to provide a scale. For example, having a model next to an exceptionally large tree helps demonstrate how big it really is. This is an artistic decision you need to make while photographing trees in particular. Think about if a human or other object is necessary for the photograph to achieve your vision.
Especially when photographing fall foliage, you can try underexposing your photographs just a bit. This works to deepen the tones of the leaves and make the colors stand out more. This may be something you want to try out when you really want to accentuate the beauty of the autumn colors within the leaves.
Learn more expert tips for photographing leaves and trees with the help of Learn Photography Canada. Our one-day courses will take you into the great outdoors to learn professional skills you can take with you on the rest of life’s journeys.