Woodland

Woodland Photography

If you’re fortunate enough to get to spend as much time in the European woodlands as I have, one thing you’re sure to notice is how different the shoots can feel depending on the season you’re there. Each season comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities, and the trained and experienced eye can help you get some unbelievably rewarding shots if you’re patient enough. 

The rewards go beyond just the shots you get. Actually spending time in the woods in different seasons also gives you that experience of being a part of nature, as opposed to just observing it through the lens. You get to share the subject's joy at the sight of the first buds in spring and hear the air buzzing with insect life in the height of summer. In fall and winter, your senses are first taken over by the rapid change of colour, then by the quiet that comes with the first snowfall. 

It’s not just the environment that changes throughout the seasons. The same hungry bear you managed to shoot right after coming out of hibernation in the spring could easily be half a tonne heavier when you spot it again at the end of the summer. A small wolfpack could have a few young additions by the end of winter, and many mammals go through the cycle of summer and winter coats each year. Seeing and experiencing these changes is magical. 

All that being said, woodland photography isn’t without its challenges. What is frustrating is that the biggest challenges are artificial and man-made. While many of our woodlands are now protected areas, deforestation, pollution, and encroaching humanity continue to be the biggest threats to these ancient habitats. It’s a real and grounded fear that if more isn’t done to protect these delicate environments, future wildlife photographers might never have the opportunity to enjoy them the way that I’ve been fortunate to