SPRING SCENES
As temperatures begin to rise and the days become longer, now is the perfect time to get outdoors. We speak to three professionals for their tips on shooting all manner of subjects
Based in his home county of Dorset, Guy Edwardes has been a professional landscape and nature photographer for over 25 years. His work has been widely published worldwide and he runs a series of popular photographic workshops. Visit www.guyedwardes.com
Ensure front-toback sharpness
When shooting spring landscapes, you may wish to include an expanse of flowers in the foreground. Even when using a wideangle lens, you’ll still have to take great care to achieve perfect front-toback sharpness. The simplest way is to employ hyperfocal focusing, where you focus on a precise point (that varies according to the subject distance and focal length used) that will allow complete sharpness throughout the scene at your chosen aperture. Alternatively focusstacking can be used to achieve even better sharpness by using software to stack a series of images taken using a middle aperture. This eliminates the softening effects of diffraction but can only really be used if the foreground flowers are not moving in the breeze!
Allow light to dictate location
Try to choose your locations based on the weather and lighting conditions on the day. Open landscapes and coastal areas look great bathed in early morning or late evening sunlight, but shady woodlands often work better in overcast or foggy conditions where the reduced contrast is beneficial, and colours will be recorded more accurately.
Timing is critical
The most vibrant green foliage and colourful springtime flowers are at their best for only a couple of weeks, so it’s essential to be prepared and to act quickly to make the most of them. Bluebells will last no more than a couple of weeks, wild garlic even less. Peak colours move slowly north up the UK and timings can vary from year to year. It’s best to check locations regularly to keep an eye on how the season is developing.
Try astrophotography
From early April the core of the Milky Way begins to become visible during the early hours of the morning, especially in the south of the UK. Find a location with minimal light pollution and foreground interest. For best results you’ll need a wideangle lens with a fast aperture and a camera capable of delivering reasonably clean images at very high ISO. Modern noise reduction software such as DxO PureRAW 2 does a great job of reducing noise without removing the fainter stars.
Research your location
There are many well-known locations to photograph bluebell woods and other wildflower landscapes around the UK. However, there are even more hidden away waiting to be discovered! Take time to scout new locations, research online and study maps before the season r
