Last week I spoke about drab gray skies.  Shooting in the woods when the sky acts as a giant diffuser is a great idea; soft light. What do you shoot when in the woods / forest?  There are thousands of trees all around and they can all look the same. They can be so dense that it is difficult to find anything to shoot. A shot of thousands of tree trunk all looking the same is just too busy.  There has to be a center point of interest or something different.  Remember the human eye will always go to whatever is different because different stands out.

Tip #1 - Shoot abstract shots. There are techniques to blur the shot by moving the camera while the shutter is open that creates beautiful abstract shots of the trees.

Tip #2 - Look for clearings.  See if you can make something of a clearing.

Tip #3 - Find something other than a tree trunk to place in the shot.  Any flowers, ferns, mushrooms, etc.

Tip #4 - There has to be fallen trees.  Fallen trees can be used to create depth.

Tip #5 - Streams and water are great to create depth and interest.

Tip #6 - Avoid forests in bright light.  Bright light often creates hot spots where the sun shines on the forest floor while most other spots are in the shade. It is very difficult to shoot in such conditions and the shots are usually not pleasing.  Drab gray skies are made for shooting in the woods.

Tip #7 - Woods are often darker. Take your tripod and use it.

Tip #8 - Although you are not including the sky in your shot (please don't) a polarizer filter works wonders in forests.  It removes sheen from the leaves (reflections), and adds a touch of saturation.

Here is an example of using a fallen tree and a fern to try to create something that breaks the monotony of thousands of tree trunks:

Enjoy shooting in the woods on gray drab days.