Okay, so I had this idea for a photo series, “When the Moonlight Shines in the Forest.” Sounds dreamy, right? I wanted to capture that magical feeling of a moonlit forest, but let me tell you, it wasn’t as easy as just pointing my camera and clicking.
Planning the Shoot
First, I scouted for locations. I needed a forest that wasn’t too dense, so the moonlight could actually filter through. I spent a few evenings just wandering around different wooded areas near my place, making notes and taking test shots with my phone. It’s amazing how different a place can look at night!
I also checked the moon phase calendar. Obviously, a full moon was ideal, but I also wanted a clear night. Cloudy skies were a no-go. It took a bit of juggling with my schedule, but I finally found a night that looked promising.
The Actual Shoot
Gear-wise, I kept it simple: my trusty DSLR, a wide-angle lens (to capture as much of the forest as possible), and a tripod. The tripod was crucial because I knew I’d be dealing with long exposures.
- Camera: My old, but reliable.
- Lens: Wide-angle, to get that expansive forest feel.
- Tripod: Absolutely essential for those long exposures in the dark.
Getting the settings right was tricky. I started with a low ISO (to minimize noise), a wide aperture (to let in as much light as possible), and then I experimented with the shutter speed. I took a bunch of test shots, adjusting the shutter speed until I got the exposure I wanted. It was a lot of trial and error, I have done a lot of things like this.
The forest itself was… well, it was dark! I used a small flashlight to navigate, but I tried to keep it off as much as possible to let my eyes adjust. It’s kind of spooky being out there alone in the dark, but also really peaceful.
I focused on finding interesting compositions. I looked for areas where the moonlight was highlighting certain trees or creating cool shadows. I played around with different angles, sometimes getting down low to the ground, sometimes shooting up towards the canopy.
Post-Processing
Back home, I loaded the photos into my editing software. I made some basic adjustments to the brightness, contrast, and white balance. I also did a bit of noise reduction, since the long exposures did introduce some graininess.
I wanted to enhance the magical, ethereal feel, so I played around with the colors, adding a slight blue tint to the shadows and warming up the highlights. It’s a delicate balance – you don’t want to overdo it and make it look fake.
That’s all. It’s not that hard. I think I did a good job.
