Forest photography can be a complex endeavor. There are many factors to take into consideration to increase the aesthetic value of your photo. There is one thing I keep having to remind myself, which applies to all the scenes I have photographed so far.
In my latest video, I go for a walk in my local forest during the rare event of dense fog. Although fog is something I almost always seek out due to the beautiful atmosphere you can achieve and the separation you can get between the foreground and the background vegetation, there is one other thing I always have to consider, whether it is fog or sun.
The separation between the individual tree trunks is crucial to create a good balance in your photo and bring the attention of the viewer towards the parts of the photo you want to show. No matter the conditions, this separation is always important. What you generally want to avoid is creating points of tension, which are bound to pull attention. In the video above, I show how having a too-narrow gap between two trees will create an area of high contrast. The trees being dark and the gap being bright will pull attention away from whatever it is you want to show. I show several examples and how to fairly easily avoid these gaps or at the very least, how to minimize their presence. I have made the mistake of forgetting to consider this so many times, that it has luckily become something I am very aware of. It is an annoyance, to say the least, to come home after a beautiful day with rare conditions with photos that seem to be a bit all over the place.
Check out the video above and let me know down below if this is something you also sometimes forget!
