A Carpet of Bluebells
I met the five other friendly participants at 9 am on the first lovely sunny day we had had in ages. Simon Turnbull, our leader for the day, started by telling us the main aims of the day were to slow down, look, consider composition, and enjoy. Remember the CAFE abbreviation: Composition, Aperture, F-stop and Enjoy. It’s important to look for something specific for the focus – your subject. Especially with woodlands, there is a lot going on, and confusion can happen easily. Consider how much you include in the image; a wide-angle lens can often result in the subject getting lost.
Ashridge was showing off at its best with glorious woodland and bluebell glades. Simon knows the woodland well and first took us to a quiet glade of woodland trees. We spread out, and each had time to look for our compositions. Simon approached us individually, suggesting composition hints and technical tips if needed. A quick muddy walk to another area.
Old Wood
We then avoided the lunch queues with coffees and packed lunches. We explored a beautiful bluebell area with beach trees that were not so overridden by people. Being a bank holiday weekend, it was really busy elsewhere. We talked about how difficult it was to find the “perfect bluebell” and how difficult it was to get a good shot. One suggestion was not to try to take a bank of bluebells but to find one particular plant to focus on. I really enjoyed the bluebells, but when I got home and surveyed my pictures, a lot of them looked quite busy – not so easy.
Bluebells
Simon also encouraged us to think creatively and set up a small project to do a triptych in the last area we visited. There were many wood textures, fallen trees, and even a bluebell path. We were encouraged to consider the distractions in an image and see if we could remove them by taking small movements left/ right, up or down. There are lots to consider – the background, the sky, the messy woodland floor, etc. You can try using the aperture, which helps cut out some excess. For woodland images, photographers often find misty or foggy environments work well for them; distractions in the background are removed.
I was taken by the beautiful shapes and patterns of the ferns unfolding. I got my macro lens out, I don’t often use it, and there is a panel that I put together of all the different shapes I found. I know each picture may not be 100% adept, focus stacking would really be needed for each image, but I think the overall concept is interesting. It would be good to see a few pics from others who attended that day.
We were so lucky to have had such a lovely day – today, I am looking out at the rain once again!
Woodland View
All Images © Suzanne Graff