18 23 November 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Technique
woodland should visit at least once.
It’s a very small woodland and can be
extremely difficult to shoot and negotiate
your way around, but if you get lucky with
the conditions it really is a magical place.
The second spot is Haldon Forest in Devon
- a place I’m only just finding my way
round. It has massive potential and I’m
hopeful I will shoot some keepers there
this year. The woodland itself has an
abundance of various species from
gnarly oak to silver birch, providing
great variety and endless opportunities
for photography. Another great Devon
location is Churston Woods. There are a
few small woodlands close to my home
and on the rare occasion there is fog
locally I will head to Churston Woods.
There are also some nice trees on the local
golf course, which I have shot in some
thick fog, after seeking permission from
one of the greenkeepers.
Shooting and processing
My typical woodland set-up has recently
changed, as I’ve collected a few old Nikkor
AIS lenses. I currently use a Nikon Z 7 and
FTZ adapter with 50mm f/1.2 AIS, 85mm
f/2 AIS, 105mm f/2.5 AIS and 135mm
f/2.8 AIS lenses; a 3 Legged Thing
Winston tripod with Zelda L-Bracket;
another 3 Legged Thing tripod; Vanguard
Alta Sky 51D bag; Kase Polariser; and
Nikon cable release.
When it comes to processing, we all have
our own style. Over the past two to three
years my processing style has changed
dramatically, as I’ve been inspired by
various photographers. For me, the most
important thing is to experiment and get
a feel for the type of image I want to create,
using the sliders to see how they affect an
image. Don’t be scared to push the colours
in a direction that suits your tastes.
As my Mystical series was all shot
during the blue hour, I really wanted to
emphasise that soft blue light. I did this
by using a mixture of tweaking the Colour
temperature and Split tones. I’ve also added
a fair bit of noise to the images, which
were originally shot between 100-800 ISO- this is just something I liked at the time
as I felt it added to the mood of the image.
Finally I flattened the tones slightly using
curves and desaturated. I feel the end
results really represent how I visualised
the scenes in my mind when I was
there shooting.
‘Over the past two to three
years my processing style
has changed dramatically’
‘Split’ shot in Wistman’s Wood, Devon. This was
a stacked image of six shots
Nikon Z 7, 50mm, 1/100sec at f/2, IS0 64
‘Organisation’ shot at Churston Golf Club
Nikon Z 7, 24-70mm lens, 1/25sec at f/4, ISO 64