The other day, I was browsing through The Tree Center website. The sheer variety that the natural world has to offer is staggering. There are literally thousands of trees different trees.

Each one is beautiful in its own way, which is why trees can provide an interesting backdrop for your fashion shoot. As you will see, when you read on, there are lots of ways to bring beautiful people, clothes and stunning trees together to create engaging and interesting photos.

Using Trees To Set The Scene

In many cultures, trees are used in symbolic or special ways. A classic example is the fir-tree, which has become synonymous with Christmas.

So, sometimes you can use trees to set the scene and create the right ambiance, which fits in with the clothes that you are photographing. Again, an easy example of this is putting your Christmas jumper model next to a decorated fir-tree.

If you wanted to photograph a model in a fairy style dress, getting her to lie on the low branch or pose near an interesting tree in dappled light. Provided you get the angle and light right, this pose can create a level of whimsy that brings out the magic in the dress.

Using Trees In The Background

Trees can become a great background for fashion shots. Posing your model in front of a stand of trees and photographing him or her from a low angle is one option. This style of photography works really well for edgy clothes or shots where you want to the model to look confident and dominant.

Using Trees As A Backdrop

Another idea is to pose your model against a solid wall of colour that has been created using trees. Tall hedges of evergreen conifers make for interesting, brightly coloured and textured green backdrops.

Red or silver birch and blue juniper can also be used in this way. Plus, if deciduous trees like willow have been used to create the hedge you can benefit from using their autumnal colours as a backdrop.

A Few Cautionary Words

As you can see there are lots of ways you could potentially incorporate trees into your shots. But, it is important to bear in mind that including them in your photos can also create additional challenges.

Beware Of The Shadow

The fact that trees cast a long shadow is something that you need to bear in mind when deciding what time of day to take your photos.

Getting Your Clothes Grubby

If you are going to have your model lean up against a tree, you need to check how clean the surface is before doing so. There is a possibility that their clothes could be stained by moss.

You also needed to be careful if it has rained recently. When leaf litter gets wet it becomes slimy and sticks to everything, so a pair of fabric shoes could be instantly ruined. It can also be very slippery. So, your model will need to take a bit of extra care when getting into position.

Of course, you do not necessarily have to incorporate trees into your fashion shots. They make fantastic subjects on their own. But, you do need to take a different approach when photographing them. Fortunately, several of the best nature photographers have shared their tree photography tips online.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.