Rainforest photography, like all good nature photography,
is more about your sensitivity to nature than about
expensive equipment. Of course you need a decent camera,
and you must know how to use it. But the quality of your
photos does not depend on the price tag on your camera. As
long as you have a tripod, and a camera that allows you to
adjust the aperture and shutter speed, you are set to go.
I make my living selling rainforest photography and other
landscape and wildlife photography, and I have never relied
on the latest equipment for my photos. Great rainforest
photography is simply about finding a great subject, in the
best light, and having a good eye for composition.
Note: The following tips are for photos of rainforest
scenes, not for close-up photos of leaves, fungus etc.
Rainforest Photography Tip #1: Choose a subject. As they
say in the classics, "It's a jungle out there." In the
rainforest, you are confronted with foliage, branches,
roots, rocks, vines...in your face and all around you. A
really good rainforest photo requires structure, to make
some visual sense of all that clutter. Look for something
that is immediately eye-catching - a big tree that
dominates the trees around it; a root system that leads the
eye; a waterfall or stream; in short, something that you
can build a composition around.
Rainforest Photography Tip #2: Use the best natural light.
The mistake almost everybody makes at first is to take
their rainforest photos on a bright sunny day when they are
in the mood for a walk. Wrong! In full sunlight, the
rainforest becomes a patchwork of light and shade that is
impossible to expose properly. What you need is a cloudy
day, when the light is much more even. Misty weather adds
even more atmosphere to the rainforest, and can add a
mysterious character to your rainforest photo.
Do not use a flash. By illuminating your scene with flat
white light, you eliminate the gentle play of light and
shade that gives the rainforest its character. Always use
the natural light.
Rainforest Photography Tip #3: Carry a tripod. Taking your
rainforest photo under a heavy tree canopy, on a cloudy day
(see rainforest photography tip #2), means the level of
light will be very low. You may be shooting at shutter
speeds as slow as one or two seconds. You will always need
your tripod, and it is best to avoid windy days so that the
scene is as still as possible.
Rainforest Photography Tip #4: Use a wide-angle lens (or
zoom out to the widest angle on your zoom lens). The wide
angle lens has several advantages for rainforest
photography. Firstly, it exaggerates the sense of
perspective in a photo, creating a sense of three
dimensional depth. Viewers of your photo will feel like
they are looking not just at a rainforest, but into it.
Secondly, the wide-angle lens has a naturally wide depth of
field. With so much detail all around you, it is important
that you can keep both the foreground and the background in
focus.
Rainforest Photography Tip #5: Stay on the path. There are
some practical reasons for staying on the path when
bushwalking. You minimize the possibility of getting lost,
injured, or fined by some over-officious park ranger. The
people who run the national parks are not stupid. They know
what you want to see, and design their trails accordingly.
You will not miss much by sticking to the path.
In terms of rainforest photography, you are able to create
some distance between you and the foliage around you. It is
much easier to photograph a tree when you don't have the
branch of another tree in your face. By staying on the
path, you can get a clear view of your subject, without
interference. You can even use the path as part of the
composition in your rainforest photo. It is an excellent
way of inviting the viewer to join you on your walk in the
rainforest.
So there you have my five rainforest photography tips.
Notice they concentrate on light and creativity, not on
fancy techniques or equipment. You can make great
improvements in all your nature photography this way,
regardless of what type of camera you have.
----------------------------------------------------
Andrew Goodall has made his living from nature photography
for over 20 years. See his images at
http://www.naturesimage.com.au
Andrew's ebooks
"Photography in Plain English" and "Every Picture Tells A
Story" have helped thousands of beginners learn the art and
skills of nature photography. Find them at
http://www.naturesimage.com.au/page/25/default.asp
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