Changing weather over Ashdown Forest.
Visiting Ashdown Forest for some landscape photography on an autumn afternoon to catch the late sunlight towards the end of the day. On arriving for this photo-shoot, I went back to an area I had scouted out previously for a view over the countryside to the south, where even the South Downs are visible. I wanted to capture the colours of autumn in the landscape, so a polariser was a must for bringing out the strong colours in the falling leaves.
Using both a wide lens and then a telephoto to capture this view. I prefer the latter shot, focusing in on these small trees in the foreground, with layers of trees and hills rising in the background. An ND grad filter helped control exposure in the background.
As some light rain moved in over the landscape, a lot of drama was created in the skies, including a rainbow behind the trees below. With such fast changing conditions, it was difficult to find good compositions and with such a vast flat landscape, I wanted stronger subjects and shapes to work with. The rainbow was only there for a few moments, so catching it felt more like a snap shot than a carefully considered shot.
These three birch trees were the most prominent subject I could find to photograph within the flatlands of Ashdown forest. I waited for the right kind of light to backlight them and produce contrast in between the trees and the background. I also produced a telephoto shot of the trees below.
Possibly my favourite shot from the shoot, as the sun went down, the colours of autumn on the trees were illuminated in golden light and vibrant colours in the sky transformed this landscape from it’s dull predecessor from just minutes before.
Contact Sheet
