Landscape Photography - A beginner's guide to woodland

[@55tanker]

Thank you Julian. Some good tips for a beginner like me.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

No problems at all! Glad it helped you out

[@anncreedon8870]

Thank you so much. I am new to your videos and enjoying your clear concise tutorials. I will get out and practice at the weekend.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Ann! Thanks for this. It's really nice to get comments like this. Hopefully it helps you out :)

[@ianspicer1529]

What a terrific and concise tutorial Julian - thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Ian! I appreciate the kind comments 😁 always nice to hear people found things useful

[@cii1072]

Thanks for some great tips. I always enjoy the woodlands to find some unique shots and compositions.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Yes, woodlands aren't easy but hopefully you found this of use.

[@iainm1256]

Thank you for the insight. My woodland photos have never excited me but your video and comments have given me something to think about next time I take to the woods

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks for that Iain! It's nice to hear my work is inspiring people to get out there and take a fresh look at things.

[@zippywalker6406]

Thanks Julian. You've given me a lot of ideas to try out.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

No worries Bruce! Hope they work out and you still have some leaves where you are. Just arrived in the UK where there seems to be barely anything!

[@zippywalker6406]

Here in the US midwest, most of the trees are bare now but there are a few with the dark rusty colors. It was not a good year this year. I still like to get out on the frosty mornings!

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

I was driving to London yesterday and there was an area on the way up that had some gorgeous colour still. But I couldn't stop. Roll on those frosty mornings :)

[@allandavies1187]

Thank you Julian, some wonderful tips there, very helpful ...

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Allan! I have a whole series of how to videos planned so keep your eyes peeled :)

[@moemoehla9243]

Thanks you very much. Most people only give tips on Camera settings. But you give guidelines on composition, which is what I am looking for. Always lost in how to compose in a woodland. Thanks you, I'll try your tips.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks for that! I do try to be as helpful when I can in a tutorial such as this.

[@Exercises10]

Julian, thank you for this excellent video! All I have around me is chaotic woodlands and prairies no hills or mountains. I will take your tips tomorrow and see what I can do. This really was helpful!!

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi LuAnn. OK, so I completely missed your comments on my vlog. I get caught up in all sorts of things so apologies for not replying earlier. Did you find this vlog useful? Did it help with your own exploits into the woodlands?

[@WilliamLesourd]

Thanks Julian, nice video. Playing around with filters too at the moment. Going to the Brittany coast this week to freeze some rolling waves. As for trees, do you know the Paimpont forest in Brittany too ? Going there at the end of this week too.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks my friend. I don’t know that forest. Is it any good? Why are you going there?

[@WilliamLesourd]

@@JulianElliottPhotography : Well finally I didn't go to the Paimpont forest after reading further about it... However the Huelgoat forest further West is worth going to. Just not sure I got the most of the place. I mainly did seascapes however. The weather has been mostly terrible though. I haven't looked at my photos yet. Will start doing so today, as I only came back yesterday.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

@@WilliamLesourd I looked up the Huelgoat Forest. Looks interesting but really far away. Maybe one day ;)

[@JasonEdwardsPhotography]

Another great in depth tutorial Julian. I'm going to watch and rewatch your videos .I like your teaching style. Great.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Jason! My style comes from how I would want to be taught. In my previous jobs I always ended up teaching people things because of what I did and always found it very satisfying :)

[@barbarajames4933]

Enjoyed this tutorial/sharing. Reminded me to slow down and enjoy the details, and to think more about focal length and aperture :)

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thank you Barbara! I'm glad that this tutorial gave something back to you :)

[@photografiaaustralis2131]

Julian, I've sat and watched every vlog you have produced at least twice, and I must say, I don't think that I have ever seen photographs that "pop" as much as yours do. The clarity in your work and image fidelity is absolutely stunning. Sure, the light in which you shoot has much to do with it, as does good glass and correctly exposing a vista, but your processing of the raw files seems very refined and exceptionally sophisticated. This is something that is rarely seen on most photographic landscape channels. Greg

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Greg! I think a lot of people are far too in love with the saturation slider and trying to add in things that aren't there. Replacing skies and whatever else just isn't my thing at all. Another photographer slammed me a couple of months ago for not shooting when it's raining. Sure, it can produce different imagery but that's not what I'm after in some situations. Of course, some places work in the rain but a lot of the time I'd rather wait for decent light :)

[@tylersims6264]

This video was very helpful. I am new to Photography. I live in Alabama (USA). Our state is rich in woods, rivers, lakes, mountains, and coastal waters. I am inspired to start local and share our beautiful state with others. Thanks.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Tyler! Thanks for the kind comments. By now I'm sure the nice autumn colour is happening in your neck of the woods. Hopefully you can get some great shots over in Alabama :)

[@robertkeck178]

You just never know when and where you might learn something. Thanks, I'll try some of these techniques the next time I'm in the woods.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Robert! The tutorial seems to be proving popular and is spurring me on to do others. I very much appreciate the comments!

[@colinhothersall8343]

Brilliant vlog. I always struggle with woods so hopefully I have some better ideas now.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Colin Hothersall you’re very welcome! Thanks for stopping and commenting 👍

[@clivesquire6463]

Hi Julian thanks so much for sharing the landscape photography a beginners guide ,i am new to photography i have a single lens fuji finepix s9900w which i must say takes some very nice pictures for a beginner !! i am interested in a polarising lens but not sure if my camera can actually take one are they universal any help would be greatly appreciated ,kind regards ,Clive in uk.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Clive Always happy to help. A quick Google search suggests that your camera has a filter size of 58mm. You’ll need to look either in the manual or on the front of the lens. If you see a screw thread on the front you’re good to go👍

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

OK, looking at the manual for your camera I’m unsure if you can put filters on the front. It doesn’t mention filter size. Could you use a polarizer without attaching it? In theory, you could handhold it in front of the lens but could have to be careful of shaking the camera.

[@clivesquire6463]

@@JulianElliottPhotography many thanks for the reply I appreciate your help I mostly use a tripod so I guess I could try a handheld filter I will have a search, regards Clive 👍.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Not a problem and very happy to help where I can. If you have a camera shop near you I’d pop in and ask.

[@clivesquire6463]

@@JulianElliottPhotography yes we have Jessops here many thanks again Julian looking forward to your next upload 👍

[@BobP622]

was just dealing with these composition issues a few days ago here in Virginia. Good video, very good to see how you view these issues through your eyes!

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Bob! The woodland round here is quite tricky to deal with as a lot of the trunks are close together meaning trying to find a composition is tough. I could have waited until a forthcoming trip to the UK to record this but thought if people could see a woodland that was very tight-knit then it would demonstrate that even in the toughest woodland it's still possible to find images.

[@mikemitchell3889]

Julian, As both a stock and fine-art landscape photographer, I appreciate your insight. Keep the "wellies" handy! Thank-You, Mike

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Mike! You certainly need the wellies when that first location floods!!!

[@photografiaaustralis2131]

Great tutorial Julian. Very informative for the novice to the seasoned professional. Well done and a very well produce vlog. Greg

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Greg! There's more to come too over the following months :)

[@MiguelACoronaDM]

New to your channel Julian and have subscribed. I'm in NY where we have an abundance of woodlands which are chaotic! Your tips will be put to good use. I'll look forward to viewing some of your other videos over the coming days.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks for that Miguel! It's nice to hear you've subscribed and that you found it of use. I do try and upload as often as I can but just be aware that other things get in the way of KZbin :( Hopefully from next year I can put the peddle to the metal and get a video out once a week!!!

[@MiguelACoronaDM]

Look forward to it Julian. Thanks for the hard work you put into these videos. See you soon.

[@markharris5771]

Great video Julian, I think woodland is the hardest part of landscape photography.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Mark. It is absolutely as you can be faced with such an entanglement of trees and branches that it's difficult to know where to start. Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@redcaronthewall]

Thank you for a great tutorial, Julian! As a beginner, I especially found very useful to see the difference in applying different focal distance and how it influences the picture. Keep up the great work!

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks for the comment! I have a few other tutorials on the channel as well as more on the way. And if you're interested in seeing a particular subject then do ask :)

[@martinstokes5596]

Thankyou for that Julian, very, very useful ..I love woodland photography being on the edge of the New Forest but find compositions very difficult..this has definitely helped and given some food for thought..

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

One of my old local areas :) I'm originally from Salisbury so know what you're talking about. Not sure how well you know some of the NF corners but try going off the beaten path around the Bolderwood Arboretum drive. We did that last year and found some nice corners :)

[@martinstokes5596]

Thanks for that, will do ..I know the Bolderwood and Rhinefield drive quite well..always seems really busy with people but getting off the usual trails should solve that..Thankyou for the tip..

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

I can tell you what we did as a family. We parked the car and then walked along the road headed north. I then said to the missus lets just go over there, turning right, where there was a huge break in the forest. We walked, found a path here and there and also a lot of ponies congregated together. And going to correct my original post. It was the Rhinefield side of the drive where were parked. So, find the car park and then walk north before just turning off into the forest. Highly unlikely you'd get lost but have fun without the hordes. If memory serves we parked the car park at these coordinates: 50.850970, -1.621466

[@martinstokes5596]

Cheers will give it a go..

[@kenbound8157]

Hi Julian Another good one so keep up the good work. I have been reviewing some of your previous vlogs and yet again am struck by your processing which seems to have a continuity and lightness of touch which I find hard to emulate in my own work. I know I have asked this before but any chance you can give us a few pointers as to how it is done? Ken Bound

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Ken! Nice to see you're still with me after all this time :) Yes, it is on my long list of things to do :) I want to make sure that when I do it that I can also provide the most accurate information that I can when going through the process. I need to sit down with LR again and just make some notes before doing it. There's another tutorial on the way VERY soon to!

[@kenbound8157]

Look forward to it. Have been watching all your vlogs - not commented much as I have been in the middle of a not very smooth house move. Will be glad when I can get back to normality and some photography.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

No worries Ken! Having done the house move thing twice now I feel your pain! As far as those infamous processing tutorials I've been looking around to see how I can do it in the best way that I can. I'm a stickler for detail and want to ensure that I present it in the right way as well as having decent software to capture it. I know of one such piece of software and just need to justify the outlay :)

[@gerardferry3958]

most difficult thing there is in photography is to go and make a picture in a bland situation where you only have composition , colour and light which i think this is about , enjoyed it

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Gerard! Woodland is difficult and especially so where I live. We either have those managed woodland areas which are shown at the beginning of the video or the other type which is a complete tangle of branches and trunks which makes it hard to get into. Lastly, there is also a lot of woodland over here which is private property and it could be you see a nice place to shoot but can't go as it's private.

[@billbaker4970]

Very helpful

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks for the comment Bill. Glad you found it of use :)

[@iainm1256]

Thanks for this tutorial and for the one on ND filter use. I have taken some woodland shots which I was moderately pleased with but the colours did not really stand out. I realise now that I should (and will) use my polariser. You have a easy way of getting the information over which still gets the point across. Thanks again.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Iain! Thank you for the kind comments. It's always nice to hear people are getting some use out of the tutorials. There will be more this year when I get the time.

[@Dero88]

Great guide! One tip for you tho. When showing differences in two photos, as with polarized and unpolarized, make a faster transition between then. Easier to spot how big the difference is. Thanks for awesome advices!

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks Daniel! It's comments like that which enable me to make any future tutorials better.

[@simatorkisl5782]

steady very helpful.. where the location is master

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thank you for that. I'm glad it was of use!

[@AlexMcDougallPhotography]

An excellent and informative film. Would you recommend the 5dmkii as a reasonable starter camera, for someone that wants to get into photography? Or would you go for something more current?

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Hi Alex! This will all come down to budget. The 5D Mark II is a great camera but it is now quite old compared to some of the newer models out there. I still use mine and it still produces results. If you take a look at my first Dolomites video, the cover image for the video and the time lapse of the famous view at Santa Maddelena was created using the 5D Mark II :) The 6D is a very capable camera too and shouldn't be dismissed.

[@shivanganand8688]

which model u r using?

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Shivang Anand you mean camera model? It was shot on a canon 6D if memory serves.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

A deviation from some of my regular vlog material in the form of a tutorial for beginner's. Hopefully those of you out there who struggle where to see an image in the woods will gain some insights from there. And of course please feel free to comment!

[@LMR65]

Very detailed and informative. Enjoyed watching and saved this video.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you found it useful :)

[@alfkatia]

81/5000 The next time I go to the forest I think I'll do it a little better. Thanks Julian.

[@JulianElliottPhotography]

No worries Alfredo!