This guide covers everything you need to take stunning photos of trees, from choosing the right equipment and mastering your camera settings to using creative techniques.
I believe the article is suitable for both experienced photographers who create fine art prints of tree photographs and beginners who are just starting out with tree photography. So grab your camera and let's dive into the art of photographing trees and capturing their beauty across the seasons.
The symbolism of trees
Trees have a rich symbolism in many cultures, often representing life, growth and resilience. In photography, you can use these symbolic meanings to add depth to your images. A lone tree in a field can evoke feelings of loneliness or independence, while a forest path lined with trees can convey a sense of mystery or adventure.
Trees can evoke a range of emotions, from peace and tranquillity to awe and wonder, depending on their setting and how they are captured. Your approach to photographing a serene grove of trees may be very different from capturing the chaotic tangle of a tropical rainforest. Think about the emotions you want to convey with your photographs and how the characteristics of the tree can help you achieve this.
Equipment Essentials
Having the right equipment can greatly enhance the quality and impact of your tree photography. Here's a breakdown of the essential equipment you'll need, along with some tips on choosing the right tools for your specific needs.
Types of cameras
DSLRs and mirrorless cameras: These are the preferred choice for serious photographers due to their high image quality, versatility and range of compatible lenses. DSLRs are known for their rugged construction and long battery life, while mirrorless cameras offer a more compact form factor and often better video capabilities.
Smartphones: Modern smartphones can be surprisingly effective for photography, especially with advances in camera technology and the availability of manual controls and RAW shooting in many models. They are a great option for spontaneous shots and for those who prefer to travel light.
Lenses
Wide angle lenses: Ideal for capturing the grandeur of a landscape beyond the trees. They allow you to capture a vast expanse of scenery, making the trees part of a larger context.
Telephoto lenses: Excellent for isolating individual trees or parts of a tree to focus on detail or to compress the scene, enhancing the visual impact of the background.
Macro lenses: Perfect for close-up shots of bark, leaves or flowers, revealing intricate details not normally visible to the naked eye.
Accessories
- Tripods: Essential for stability, especially in low light or when using slow shutter speeds to capture movement such as swaying branches or falling leaves.
- Remote shutter releases: Useful for minimising camera shake when shooting long exposures, such as capturing the movement of leaves in the wind.
- Polarising filters: Helps reduce reflections from leaves and enhances the colour saturation of the sky and foliage.
- Neutral density (ND) filters: Allow longer exposure times without overexposing the shot, useful for achieving a silky smooth effect in moving leaves or water near the tree.
Camera settings for tree photography
Mastering your camera settings is crucial to effectively capturing the stunning and dynamic forms of trees. Here's a guide to the key settings you need to know and how to adjust them depending on your subject and conditions.
Aperture
The aperture affects how much of your image is in focus. For landscapes with trees, a smaller aperture (larger f-stop, such as f/16 or f/22) will ensure that both the foreground and background are in focus. If you want to focus on a specific tree or detail, a wider aperture (smaller f-number, such as f/2.8 or f/4) will blur the background and make your subject stand out.
Shutter speed
If you want to capture the movement of leaves or branches, a slower shutter speed can convey the motion as a blur, giving the image a sense of wind or movement. Shutter speeds of 1/15th or slower can achieve this effect. For sharp, still images, especially on windy days, use faster shutter speeds.
ISO
Keep ISO as low as possible to reduce noise, especially in daylight. Increase ISO only when necessary in low-light situations to ensure your shutter speed remains fast enough to capture sharp images without blur caused by hand movement or wind.
Manual mode (M)
Gives you full control over aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Use this mode to make specific adjustments based on your creative vision.
Aperture priority mode (A or Av)
You choose the aperture and the camera automatically selects the shutter speed. This mode is particularly useful for controlling depth of field while the camera controls exposure.
Shutter-priority mode (S or Tv)
You select the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture. Ideal for capturing motion with precision.
Composition Techniques
Composition is the key to creating visually appealing and powerful tree photography. Here are some techniques that can help you frame your tree subjects effectively, enhancing both the aesthetic quality and storytelling potential of your images.
The Rule of Thirds
Divide your frame into a grid of nine equal segments using two vertical and two horizontal lines. Place your tree or a significant element of the tree (such as a branch or trunk) along these lines or at their intersections. This placement often results in a more balanced and natural looking photo.
Guide lines
Use the natural lines in the landscape, such as paths, streams or rows of trees, to guide the viewer's eye towards the main subject or deeper into the picture. This technique is particularly effective in creating depth and perspective in your photos.
Framing
Look for ways to use elements within the scene to frame the main subject. This could be other trees, arches or gaps in branches. Framing adds depth to the composition and draws the viewer's attention to the main subject.
Symmetry and pattern
Trees often have intrinsically symmetrical shapes or repetitive patterns, especially when viewed from certain angles. Capturing these symmetries and patterns can create striking visuals that draw the viewer's eye.
Perspective
Changing your shooting angle can dramatically change the mood and impact of a tree photograph. Consider shooting from below to emphasise the height and grandeur of tall trees, or from above (if possible) to capture the spread of branches or the shape of the canopy.
Background considerations
Trees can get lost in a busy background. Adjust your position or use a wider aperture to blur the background and make the tree stand out. Be aware of distracting elements such as bright spots that can draw attention away from the subject.
Use negative space
Negative space, or the area around and between subjects in a photo, can be used to emphasise the shape or isolation of a tree. This technique works well in minimalist compositions where the simplicity of the scene can convey a sense of tranquillity or solitude.
Scale
Sometimes including a person or recognisable object near a tree can provide a sense of scale, illustrating the size and majesty of trees in a subtle yet powerful way.
Seasonal photography tips
Photographing trees throughout the year allows you to capture the changing beauty of the seasons, each offering unique opportunities and challenges.
Spring
Focus on new growth: Capture the budding leaves, flowers and vibrant greens that signal renewal. Look for contrasting colours, such as cherry blossoms against a blue sky.
Wet surfaces: After rain, the colours of trees and foliage become more saturated. This is an excellent time to photograph for richer hues.
Summer
Full foliage: Trees are at their densest, providing ample opportunity to explore the depth of greens and the play of light through the leaves.
Golden hour: Early morning or late evening, when the sun is low, provides a warm, soft light that enhances the lushness of summer greenery.
Autumn
Colourful Canopy: Focus on capturing the palette of changing leaves - yellow, orange, red and brown. Overcast days can help intensify these colours and reduce harsh shadows.
Fallen leaves: Incorporate carpets of fallen leaves into your compositions for added texture and colour contrast.
Winter
Bare branches: With the leaves gone, the intricate structures of tree branches create striking graphic elements against winter skies.
Snow and Ice: Trees covered in snow or ice offer a minimalist aesthetic. Early morning light can create sparkling highlights on icy branches.
Creative techniques and approaches
Exploring creative techniques can add a unique flair to your tree photography, helping you to capture more than just the physical appearance of your subjects. Here are some innovative approaches to consider:
Long Exposure
Capture movement: Use a slow shutter speed to blur moving elements, such as leaves swaying in the breeze or clouds moving across the sky, to create a sense of movement and fluidity.
Night shots: Experiment with long exposures at night to capture trees under a starry sky or with city lights in the background. A sturdy tripod and remote shutter release are essential for these shots.
Black and white photography
Focus on texture and contrast: Black and white images emphasise texture, shape and contrast, removing the distraction of colour. This can be particularly effective for highlighting the intricate patterns of bark or the stark silhouettes of bare branches against the sky.
Abstract approaches
Parts of the tree: Rather than shooting the whole tree, focus on small, often overlooked details such as the texture of the bark, the pattern of the leaves or the drops of dew on a spider web.
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM): Move your camera during a long exposure to create abstract patterns. This technique can produce painterly effects, especially with colourful foliage.
Multiple exposures
Layering images: Combine multiple exposures in-camera or through post-processing to create a composite image that captures different aspects or moments of a scene. This technique can create a sense of time passing or merge different perspectives of the same subject.
Using reflections
Mirror effect: Capture reflections of trees in water to create a symmetrical composition that doubles the visual impact. This can be particularly effective on still lakes or in puddles after rain.
Silhouettes
Backlight and contrast: Position the tree between your camera and a light source, such as the sun, to capture its silhouette. This technique simplifies the scene into shapes and lines, focusing on the shape of the tree against a bright background.
Learn from the masters
Photographers specialising in tree and landscape photography can gain immense insight by studying renowned painters. Artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Gustav Klimt uniquely captured the essence and emotion of nature through their masterful use of colour, composition and texture. These painters offer lessons in framing, lighting, and colour selection that can transform ordinary photographic scenes into extraordinary visual narratives. This list explores several painters whose styles offer valuable perspectives for photographers looking to enhance their work in tree photography. Each artist teaches us how to see and portray the natural world through a fresh, artistic lens.
Claude Monet
Monet's impressionist style focuses on the play of light and its effect on the landscape. Photographers can learn how to capture the fleeting effects of light on trees and foliage by using soft focus and paying attention to the changes in light at different times of the day.
Claude Monet - The Esterel mountains
Vincent van Gogh
Van Gogh's expressive use of colour and dramatic brushstrokes can inspire photographers to explore vibrant colour palettes and dynamic compositions. His paintings, such as The Mulberry Tree, showcase intense and emotional interpretations of natural scenes.
Van Gogh’s Landscape at Twilight
Gustav Klimt
Known for his symbolic and ornate paintings, Klimt's use of golden tones and intricate patterns, such as in The Tree of Life, can teach photographers how to incorporate texture and pattern into natural scenes to create a sense of depth and richness.
Birch Forest I, 1902 by Gustav Klimt
Caspar David Friedrich
Friedrich's romanticism is evident in his moody and atmospheric landscapes with trees. Photographers can learn how to use mood, fog and lighting to create evocative and contemplative images that evoke a sense of solitude and introspection.
The Abbey in the Oakwood by Caspar David Friedrich
Georgia O'Keeffe
O'Keeffe's paintings often focus on the details of natural elements, bringing an almost abstract quality to familiar forms. Photographers can take inspiration from her zoomed-in perspectives to frame parts of a tree in a way that highlights their abstract beauty.
Green Tree by Georgia O'Keeffe
Andrew Wyeth
Wyeth's realistic and detailed approach in works such as 'Christina's World' offers lessons in using a muted colour palette and simple compositions to tell a story or evoke emotion - ideal for capturing stark, wintery tree scenes.
Andrew Wyeth, Pennsylvania Landscape
John Constable
Constable's dedication to naturalistic and detailed landscape painting, particularly his depictions of the English countryside, can inspire photographers to strive for authenticity in capturing the spirit of a place, focusing on the movement of clouds and changes of light across treed landscapes.
John Constable - The Vale of Dedham
Piet Mondrian
Known for his abstract works, Mondrian began with impressionist landscape paintings that gradually evolved into grid-like compositions of vertical and horizontal lines.
Photographers can learn from his progression towards abstraction to explore minimalist and geometric compositions in tree photography.
Piet Mondrian tree - Evening; Red Tree
Emily Carr
Carr's bold and lush images of Canadian landscapes and forests are filled with movement and vibrant colour. Her work can inspire photographers to capture the spirit and energy of forests and canopies in more expressive ways.
Emily Carr, Forest Trees
