Photographing rainforests
Rainforests, perhaps more than most environments, provide a multi-sensory experience, involving touch, sight, smell and hearing. Being in the rainforest is a profound experience for me. It envelops my soul, taking me to a peaceful place, emotions not easily communicated in a photograph.
The best conditions for photographing rainforest are either bright overcast or misty weather - days that start out with heavy mist that is then, around mid-morning, penetrated by the sun. The shafts of light that fill the forest create a spectacular effect.
The reason for preferring overcast weather is that the water particles in cloud and mist diffuse the light, allowing it to penetrate into even the darkest of forest areas. With a camera mounted on a tripod, a wide-angle lens, and a cable release attached to the camera to reduce any movement, you will be amazed at the results you will get even under what may appear to be quite dark conditions. Avoid large areas of sky in the picture - they will overwhelm the forest making it appear darker and filled with shadow.
A rainforest is full of inspiring and sometimes daunting creative challenges. Potential shots are everywhere: you can hear the birds, the thud of wallabies, but cannot see them; leaves rustle, but there is no sign of life. How do you overcome this sense of frustration? You simply cease to care. Switch your mind to play mode. Give your imagination free rein.
Give it a go, but remember the two P's: Play and Patience.
Diffuse light is best for photographing in rainforests. It helps light to penetrate into the dark corners avoiding dark shadowed areas in the pictures.
Photographing waterfalls - Some of the most appealing images to come out of a rainforest are of waterfalls, especially after recent heavy rain when the fall is exploding with water. The overall appeal of the image is intensified if the light is diffused by water particles from either cloud or mist. Viewing angles and lighting conditions can produce quite different results from the same waterfall.
Bright overcast weather with a touch of mist is ideal, but not always possible.
Let the strangler figs' looping, twisting roots take you on a journey ? open your shutter and follow them. This is what rainforest photography can be about. It is also about patience, careful observation, luck, and sheer, painstaking, hard, sweaty, work. Nonetheless, the results will be worth it because rainforest images have the power to reach out and touch people in a way few other subjects can.
The image of Crystal Shower Falls in Dorrigo National Park, New South Wales, was taken inside the waterfall looking out. While this is not always possible, it is worth trying every angle that access will allow.