From a landscape photography point of view the summer months are often considered a tricky time of year to make compelling woodland images. Early mornings, bright sunlight and the overwhelming green colour palette all add to it being considered the runt of the litter. I have also come across a number of influential photographers over the year who basically rule the season out, especially when it comes to woodland photography.

As my photography has developed, I’ve increasingly subscribed to the notion that there is always something to make images of, provided you are in the right mindset to be out and create new work. Woodlands are an especially good place to put this to the test, even in summer. I’m a firm believer that, as photographers (and I include myself), we don’t see enough. Take the scenario of wandering into a classic British woodland filled with characterful sessile oaks. In this situation we have probably picked the location for its subject matter; twisted trees. Their gnarly character is undeniably photogenic and makes for excellent pieces if captured in the right conditions. Woodlands, by nature, however, are complex ecosystems. They go further than just gnarled trees and mosses that grow. Focus gets drawn away from the obvious and can focus upon the relationships that make up a complex environment like this. Ultimately, there is always more than immediately meets the eye. To complement the classic tree scenes there are a wealth of smaller (sometimes complex) scenes that can be photographed.

This last summer has been a voyage of exploration in itself. I’m usually one for setting myself photographic challenges but I long felt my woodland photography had hit a bit of a dead end. I was waiting for the magic image enhancer (fog) to arrive in our woodlands. But anyone who knows Wales well knows that the ever-present wind has other ideas. Even on the occasions when it did arrive, I was not getting the images I had in my mind or actually reacting successfully to what was presented to me. Before the summer even arrived, I had told myself I needed to get out and explore woodlands more, serving the purpose of finding new places and also trying to see these wonderful woodlands in a new light.

The Welsh landscape, especially here in Eryri (Snowdonia) is full of fragments of temperate rainforest. These woodlands are endemic to the parts of the west coast of Britain where the ocean driven climate results in humid conditions with high rainfall, all while maintaining a steady temperature. The woodlands are full of a variety of trees, such as sessile oak, birch and hazel to name a few, that thrive in these conditions. They are accompanied by an array of moisture loving ferns and mosses that amplify the feeling of these already wet environments. On their edges, the rainforests come into contact with conifer plantations and farmland. Despite their proximity, life flourishes in these small pockets of ancient woodland. It feels, and is, quite special.

I told myself “just hike and find”. No pressure to make any images but if I saw something I wasn’t going to refrain from getting the camera out. This year I must have clocked up over 100km walking. Nearly all of the places I went were ‘new to me’. This exploratory side of photography is always something that has been important to me, but more of that in a future article. Seeing how places looked in different atmospheric conditions, especially under the harsher contrasty light you get in the summer really pushed me to work with what I had. In some instances, I used the summer light to my advantage and at other times I found myself looking for more intimate scenes in the shade or even just shooting them under full cloudy skies. After all its summer in the UK and we have a lot of cloud to work with.

I knew a lot of what I’m about to say beforehand this summer has really reinforced it in my mind. First and foremost, and this is something I apply to other subjects of my photography, is that there is always more to take images of than meets the eye. This is more relevant when trying to make images in seasons or conditions that are less than optimal. When I go out in ‘perfect conditions’ my immediate reaction is to focus on the money shots. Gnarled sessile oaks trees enveloped in a fog is a perfect example and, in these situations, you may lose sight of the less obvious compositions that lurk beneath your feet, or even a more obscure angle of trees that fell foul of the main event. Getting out in summer has really reinforced the notion that I have to work with what I’m given, rather than being driven by the lure of magic conditions.

 Above all I think the key to shooting woodlands (or any landscape for that matter) is knowing your subject. This is especially relevant when it comes to making compelling images. By that I mean, knowing the area or environment, you are shooting in. If you dial it down another level you can even apply this to specific species of tree for example. When I found the composition that became ‘Contaminant’ (see above), this was from the knowledge of how different types of woodland start interacting with the temperate forests at their periphery. The scaly bark of the pine trees contrasted nicely with the luminant green mosses found deeper in the rain forest. Further up the track where the pines were more prevalent, the mosses on their bark disappeared. More than just portraits of trees, there are stories to tell.

 When I looked back at the images, I made this year and combined them with pictures I’ve made in summer previously, I started see I’d created a small portfolio of really interesting and diverse images.

 Initially I thought summer was a season that should be forgotten but now treat it not only an excuse to explore new locations, but also expand my portfolio with more varied images. Ones that tell a story of place.  More than orange leaves in the fog of Autumn. 

GALLERY OF SUMMER WOODLAND IMAGES

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