by Zack Schnepf
There is a feeling I get when I’m deep in a forest. An experience that quiets my mind and opens my senses. I have this experience in all wilderness, but there is something special about being surrounded by a well balanced ecosystem that is teeming with life. Sadly, there are fewer and fewer true wilderness areas left, but that is the subject of another article. The forest is my church and always has been. Ever since I was a little boy exploring the mountains of Northern California, or trying to discover where the waterfalls came from in the Columbia River Gorge. I’ve always had a special appreciation for the experience I have inside a forest. This experience is something I try convey when photographing in the forest. I think forests are one of the hardest types of scenes to capture well, but also one of the most rewarding. Below are some of the images I’ve captured of forests that convey some piece of my own experience.
One of my favorite experiences is sitting by a stream in a forest. I’ll sit quietly and let my mind wonder. The rhythm of the running water and the symphony of the sights and sounds in a forest are hypnotic. There is an awareness that comes over me, as if my senses come alive. All at once, I’m aware of the entire ecosystem around me and I can feel myself as a part of the ecosystem. It’s in this moment of profound awareness my mind can find peace and my body can fully relax. In this meditative state the trivial concerns of everyday life fall away and my mind is free to think clearly. This is my favorite state of mind to photograph in as well. I do some of my best work with a quiet mind and I also enjoy the experience very much. Often times if I’m struggling with a composition, or having a hard time making a decision about how to shoot a particular scene I will sit in one spot and quiet my mind. it’s not always easy to do, especially if the light is changing quickly and I don’t have much time, but it’s almost always worth the time spent to change my perspective.
As I mentioned before, forests can be extremely challenging to photograph. Forest scenes tend to be very chaotic and don’t always lend themselves to a two dimensional medium. I’m always trying to find a way to simplify the scene and add more dimension. Here are some of the techniques I use to capture a compelling forest image.
- Try to find areas with more space. Forests that are really dense usually don’t photograph well. Having space between trees and other objects helps add dimension as well as simplify the scene. Look for areas that are more open.
- Eliminate elements that don’t add to the overall structure of the scene and avoid distracting elements.
- Use foreground, middle ground and background elements to add depth and dimension.
- Use s curves and c curves to help the eye flow through the frame.
- Light. Overcast light can help flatten out the tonality range in a forest and allow you to capture the scene in one exposure. Harsh sunny afternoon light is probably the worst light to shoot a forest in. The best light for any scene depends a lot on the mood you are trying to capture. Some of my favorite forest light is partly sunny, or high overcast. This is dynamic light, but filtered enough to control the tonality. Sometimes my favorite light is clear twilight. This can produce moody, saturated, rich tones. Also, early sunrise light can be really excellent, especially before the direct sunlight is able to hit the scene.
The serenity of a well captured forest scene is something that resonates deep within me, it’s something that I admired in the photographs of some of my photographic heroes and something I strive to capture in my own images. For this reason, forest scenes are some of my favorite images to print and hang on my own walls. I love being able to look at an image of a forest in my own home and feel the serenity I felt in person. An image that can evoke that kind of feeling in me is a successful image.
For more information on the techniques I use to process these images click here: http://www.zschnepf.com/Other/Videos2
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