Every time I feel the need to get close to nature, I take the twenty minute drive to Spruce Bay Old Growth Trail. Once inside the forest, I’m able to slow things down and turn up my senses. I’ll walk about until I see a possible composition. What I’m looking for in the beginning is trees that are spaced apart so they are framing a focal point or just arranged in a way so that my eye is being led to a distinctive tree or bush. It could be a distinctive colour or shape of a tree or even a path through the forest. After I envision how the image will look, I’ll set up the camera and then fine tune the composition. It can be as simple as moving the camera a few inches to one side, or up or down to include or hide something in the frame. Inside the forest, it is always a challenge to sort out the chaos. Many times I will have to move a branch or bend a limb so it doesn’t invade the scene. It is always better to remove distractions before you press the shutter release button than having to do it in an editing program. In these two images I used the path through the forest to lead the eye.
Douglas Bradshaw has lived in the North Island for 33 years. He is a Landscape and Wildlife photographer based out of Port Alice B.C. His website is portalicephoto.com follow him on YouTube and Facebook at Port Alice Photography, Images by Douglas Bradshaw
