Like all good nature photography, rainforest photography relies on your sensitivity to nature and light, more than on 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 shutter speed and aperture, you are set to go.
“Amazon Rainforest, Venezuela” captured by Eric Pheterson
I make my living from nature photography, including a lot of rainforest photos, and I have never relied on the latest equipment for my work. 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.
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.
“Congo Basin Rainforest” captured by Corinne Staley
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 and can add a mysterious character to your photo.
“Dandenongs Mist” captured by Mark Wassell
Do not use a flash. The flash illuminates the scene with flat, white light, eliminating the gentle play of natural light and shade that gives the forest its character. Always use the natural light.
3. Carry a tripod
Taking your photo under a heavy tree canopy, on a cloudy day 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.
4. Use a wide-angle lens (or a zoom lens, zoomed back to its widest angle)
The wide angle lens has several advantages for rainforest photography. First, 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.
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. Sticking to the path will not rob you of any great photo opportunities.
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 photo. It is an excellent way of inviting the viewer to join you on your walk.
“Rainforest” captured by Lawson Matthews/Island Home
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.
About the Author:
Andrew Goodall writes for http://www.naturesimage.com.au and is a nature photographer based in Australia. He manages a gallery in Montville full of landscape photography from throughout Australia.
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Some great shots there. :)