Chris Schober, the winner of May’s photo competition, tells us how he got this amazing shot.
Congratulations to Chris Schober, the winner of May’s photo competition! This month’s theme was Britain’s hidden gems.
Every month, a new winner will be inducted into our Photo Nomad Hall of Fame. We recently caught up with Schober to find out how he got this shot.
This image was taken mid-morning on a clear autumn day at Windsor Great Park, just outside London, after a long, damp night. From early in the day, the park’s main paths are often filled with joggers and a host of dog walkers. This drives people like me off the beaten track and onto the more secluded walks.
The morning started out quite grey and overcast, but as the clouds started to break, the sun came out and a fog rose up. The trees were naturally very colourful and the sun seemed to create conditions where it seemed like the light and air were objects themselves.
The main tree you see in this image is a large oak, and I used it to frame the shafts of light. For me, these are the subjects of the photo.
Here’s the trick to capturing a shot like this: I positioned myself so that a branch blocked out the sun, which helped avoid a lens flare (these can sometimes look great, but often block out detail). Crucially, being able to see the rays of light leads a viewer’s eyes from the lower right corner of the frame up to the sun and then to the curve of the oak tree. In this shot, the eye has to travel, keeping the viewer engaged.
This image is one of my favourites and it brings back fond memories of a truly beautiful morning.
As told to Richard Conway, BBC Travel contributing editor