Australia offers some fantastic locations for photographers interested in shooting rainforests. James Ostinga visited one of the most photogenic – the Tarkine in northwest Tasmania – and returned with some useful tips on shooting better rainforest images.
01 GETTING READY
We’re fortunate in Australia to have some of the most beautiful and accessible rainforests in the world, from the Daintree in Far North Queensland to the Tarkine in Tasmania. If you're planning a trip to a location for the first time, you can hone in on the places you’d really like to shoot at by searching for images of the area online.
One site that’s particularly useful is www.500px.com, a showcase of amazing images from around the world. A quick search will reveal what other photographers have produced in the area you’re visiting, including where and when the photos were taken along with key shooting data. If you’ve never been there before, it’s a bit like having a local photographer show you round.
They’re called “rain” forests for a reason, so make sure you take plenty of wet weather gear for you and your equipment. A camera bag with a pull-out rain cover will keep your gear dry when it’s not in use and a dedicated rain cover for your camera will let you keep shooting when the skies open. Rain covers are available from most specialist camera stores and are available in a range of sizes to suit most body/lens combinations.
The Pieman River, Corinna, Tasmania. Nikon D600, 24-85mm lens, 1/20s @ f/16, ISO 250, tripod. Photo by James Ostinga.
02 ORDER IN THE CHAOS
Composition can be challenging in the rainforest. There is so much happening visually that it can be difficult to isolate a single element or convey a simple aesthetic idea. There is a paradox here. On one hand, the goal is to capture the wilderness in its untamed state. However, the aesthetics of photography demand that you find some order to maintain viewers’ attention. It’s not enough to point your camera at a mess of trees and branches and hope that the image will work out – it usually won’t. Human beings are programmed to look for order – leading lines, symmetry and patterns. If you can find these things in nature, your images will have more appeal.
Keep in mind that photographs often work best when there is a subject and a background. That might not be as clearly defined in a photo of the rainforest as it is in, say, a portrait, but it is still something you should think about. If your subject is a tree fern, think about how you can isolate it from the background. Simply moving to the left or right might remove some background clutter. The rule of thirds (key elements are positioned on the intersecting thirds of an image) can be useful too. Even if you don’t adhere to it all the time it can be a good starting point when you’re setting up your camera.
Forest floor, Corinna, Tasmania. Sony NEX-6, E 10-18mm lens @ 11mm, 1/80s @ f5, ISO 3200, hand held. Photo by James Ostinga.
03 THREE LEGS ARE BETTER THAN TWO
I know it’s a pain lugging a tripod through the bush but it really is worth it. Rainforests are naturally dark, and if you have a tripod you can set the ISO to 100 or 200 (low noise), the aperture to f/11 or f/16 (optimal sharpness and depth of field) and let the shutter speed fall where it will – without having to worry about camera shake.
Another benefit of using a tripod is that it forces you to slow down. Use it as a chance to check your camera settings, think about your surroundings, and look around for better compositions. Sometimes moving your tripod a few feet left or right can make a huge difference.
Carbon fibre tripods are well suited to landscape photography as they are light, sturdy and durable. They are also expensive with prices starting at around $400. Aluminium tripods are sturdy too and cheaper than carbon fibre, but considerably heavier. Be wary of the really cheap, lightweight plastic tripods – most don’t offer particularly good support and they lack durability.
Using a tripod forces you to slow down and take in your surroundings. Corinna, Tasmania. 
Tree Fern, Corinna, Tasmania. Nikon D600, 24-85mm lens @ 24mm, 1/20s @ f/11, ISO 200, tripod. Photo by James Ostinga.
05 SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
The rainforest is a great place for a macro lens. Look for flowers, insects, lichen, or the coil of an unfolding fern frond. The possibilities are almost infinite if you keep your eyes open. An off-camera flash or the light of a bright LED torch can help you illuminate your subject.
Fern, Corinna, Tasmania. Sony NEX-6, 30mm macro lens, 1/200s @ f/3.5, ISO 400, hand-held. Photo by James Ostinga.
06 LOCATION, LOCATION
While we happily take the credit for our photos, you can’t escape the fact that in landscape photography the location is the real star. Put simply, if you want to shoot stunning landscapes you need to visit stunning locations. The images in this story were shot around Corrina, in North West Tasmania. Corrina sits on the banks of the Pieman River at the southern end of the Tarkine, the largest temperate rainforest in Australia. A wonderfully photogenic location, it offers a smorgasbord of photo opportunities, from kayak and boat trips on the frequently mirror-smooth Pieman River to bush walks through pristine ancient rainforests. Iconic Australian landscape photographer Steve Parish rates Corinna as one of his favourite locations. "If I were to close my eyes and revisit the highlights of my fifty year career, a three hour shoot at dawn on the Pieman River one misty morning would be right up there at the top of the list,” he says.
Look Up, Corinna, Tasmania. Sony NEX 6, 10-18mm lens, 1/40s @ f/5.6, ISO 3200, hand-held. Photo by James Ostinga.
Visiting Corinna
Corrina, Tasmania, is a small settlement in the heart of the Tarkine wilderness area. The eco resort offers a range of accommodation alternatives from restored cottages to tents and powered sites on the edge of the Pieman River. 
Guest accommodation, Corinna, Tasmania. Nikon D600, 24-85mm lens @ 24mm, 1/25s @ f/16, ISO 250, tripod. Photo by James Ostinga.
Immediately north of Corinna, is the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area, a place of diverse ecosystems, beautiful coastal landscapes and untamed wilderness. The Tarkine covers 450,000 hectares and is a major habitat for myrtle-beech dominated rainforest. Within the Tarkine there are said to be more than 400 species of diverse flora, from native orchards to thousand-year-old Huon Pine trees. Just a few of the many animal species that inhabit the Tarkine include quolls, Tasmanian devils, eastern pygmy possums, wedge-tailed eagles, white-breasted sea eagles, orange-bellied parrots and white goshawks.
Travelling distances and times to Corinna: Burnie 123km (2.5 hours); Devonport 168km (3hours); Hobart 346km (5 hours); Launceston 267km (4 hours); Queenstown 88km (1.5 hours); Strahan 99km (2 hours); Zeehan 49km (1.3 hours).
More info: corinna.com.au
James Ostinga visited Tasmania as a guest of Corinna Wilderness Experience.