Here we are again in sunny Hampstead, a beautiful place for a london photographer to explore, a place full of photographic opportunity. Swooping trees, flowers in bloom, endless colour. This little pocket of the capital is one of the reasons why people love the city so much, despite how busy central can be, there is a lot of green space spread out over the city. Whilst Hampstead Heath is slightly more notorious than other parks, and therefore that little bit busier, it’s bloody massive, so there’s plenty of room for picnics, Frisbee and football on a summers day. I make no secret that I love trees, I even donate some of your fees to a tree planting charity. There is a certain magical quality to them that keeps me in touch with the world and continually reminds me of our ancient origins. The first trees emerged around 360 million years ago. Whilst that’s still only a cosmic hour in the grand scheme of things, for me it’s like having tangible stars in our midst. We stare up the skies and wonder, but I think you don’t have to tilt your head much further than 45 degrees to be inspired by the ancient majesty of the world we live in. But why so good for photographs? They create shade from the sun, shelter from any wind and rain and when the sun hit’s the leaves and you light the scene properly, the whole world lights up in an emerald green and gives a stunning backdrop on which to create a photograph.
As branches bow down to the ground, they also create leading lines which draws the eye into the image. Needless to say I was thrilled upon my first visit to Hampstead Heath when I saw just how bio-diverse the whole park was. As you can see form the images, different tree species have different coloured leaves, from emerald greens to scarlet reds and sometimes yolky yellows! One magnificent plant can give you a whole world of possibilities, even the trunks can create interest and dynamic shapes. Silver birches are exactly that, silver. And they grow in near straight lines which again can be a marvellous aid compositionally…I should have called this post ‘all about trees’ shouldn’t I? Anyway, if you’re looking for a spot for a wedding shoot then this should definitely be on your list, it’s got variety in plant species, changing terrain, and if you’re game for a walk, the hill gardens and pergola is just around the corner for some more architectural beauty.
