Ever had one of them day’s when conditions align and everything falls into place? I’ve had a few since I started photographing in the woods and every one is as special as the last, moments to treasure, time forever lost behind the camera in the absolute bliss of the atmosphere. I had a couple of these day’s on the bounce in the ancient Staffordshire woodland earlier this month. I recall at the end of the first morning when the fog was lifting, I found the perch of a fallen oak tree and sat for a while to soak in the bird song whilst the mist turned to blue and the light from the sun illuminated everything just that touch brighter. I generally work quite quickly when the conditions turn up, previous scouting trips help in this regard and I will have numerous compositions or areas of interest logged away for such events so I always take time at the end of what can be a quite manic spell to take it all in and remind myself that the experience of being present is what’s important.
I’d been waiting to experience the beautiful combination of atmosphere with light during the winter months in this woodland for two years and it had finally happened, I’d previously experienced similar conditions in the early Autumn when the foliage was still in full swing, but whilst I loved the colours and contrast it offered, a lot of the shape and form was hidden away among leaves and bracken. In fact during the warmer months many of the compositions are impossible to photograph due to the height of the ferns or the thickness of the canopy. I’ve decided to share a few of my favourites and talk through some of my thought processes behind both the composition but more importantly the story they tell.
