This photo was taken in Epping Forest, a narrow strip of woodland stretching 19 miles through Essex, with its southern end being part of London. It’s incredible that this forest still exists – in a city that’s swallowed up so much land for housing and businesses, Epping Forest has somehow remained. That’s thanks to Queen Victoria, who in 1882 officially handed it over to the public. Since then, it’s been looked after by the City of London Corporation, and it’s because of that protection that it still exists today.
What drew me to this scene was the symmetry and that mesh of winter branches. I was walking through the woods when this view opened up – a narrow footpath pulling the eye into the image, lined by those dense leafless trees, the branches stretching out like a network of veins against a cloudy sky. There’s something peaceful about it – no leaves, no colour to distract, just shape, line, and texture.
What made me stop was the balance between both sides of the image. The left side almost mirrors the right, with trees arching inward and the central path acting as a leading line. The branches form an intricate pattern – like a dense mesh – spreading from the middle of the image to the edges. It’s symmetrical without being precisely symmetrical.
I was also thinking in terms of composition: the way the path leads the viewer straight to that tree in the background, which becomes the natural subject of the photograph. The soft, diffused light of a cloudy day helped too – there were no harsh shadows, just even tones and the type of sky that I love. Cloudy middle of the day skies are very underrated!
Post processing was done in Lightroom Classic. The first step was selecting and darkening the sky – but carefully, so that the darkening didn’t bleed into the branches. I wanted the eye to be drawn into the scene, not distracted by unnatural edges or an area of trees that were pitch black.
To get the overall mood right, I used the tone curve to create that soft, faded look. I also slightly desaturated the colours – just enough to take the edge off, but not so much that it became monochrome. The result is an image that feels calm and muted, and full of textures. You can get lost in the detail – the branches, the path, the muted orange leaves, and the tree in the background which is the subject of the image.
Let me know in the comments if you have a favourite forest you love to photograph or have your own favourite winter woodland shots. Or if you’ve had any questions or opinions regarding post processing.
