Photography Subjects In March

Image by David Clapp

The month of March is a pretty exciting time to get outside and photograph. By this time of year, spring is here, bringing a rejuvenated lease of life to the landscape and signalling the beginnings of warmer weather. Here, we run through some of the main photographic opportunities that are around this month:

Fresh landscapes

March hails the start of new growth in the landscape. Grass will begin to grow, trees will begin to bud and the fresh shades of green will make for some fantastic landscape shots. Whether you head up high and look down over the landscape for a wide vista, or focus on a smaller patch of the landscape, try experimenting with your viewpoint to include some interesting foreground elements and add further depth to your image. 

Lambs

Spring is a time when a lot of baby animals will begin to appear, and the most accessible of these to photograph will be the lambs. If you live near a farm, or take a trip out into the countryside, there will most likely be paths and walkways allowing you to get a clear view of lambs and sheep without trespassing. Sometimes footpaths even go through their fields and if this is the case, be respectful and don't get too close to the animals. Framing can sometimes be an issue as the background can end up being quite crowded, so zoom in close if possible and consider long grass or wild flowers to create interest in the foreground. 

Birds 

Spring is a very active time for birds. Some will be arriving in the country for the summer, while others will be migrating to warmer or cooler climes. It's also a time when mating rituals are carried out by certain species allowing you to capture pairs bonding ready for breeding season. Water birds such as coots, moorhens and crested grebes are larger birds that you'll be able to spot when heading to your local lake or reservoir. Birds of prey like the red kit also increase in numbers around this time of year so you could research ideal locations to photograph these beautiful birds too. 

Flowers

By mid March, the early spring flowers like the snowdrop will be dying off but crocus, daffodil and other species will be in full bloom. This is also an ideal time to head into the woods as bluebells begin to appear. Remember though that these flowers are protected and shouldn't be picked. 

Rain

Although March signals warmer weather, it also signals the beginnings of plenty of rain, too, essential for the growing vegetation at this time of year. Don't let it put you off your photography though because some great images can still be taken, and often even improved, by falling rain. Using a shutter speed which freezes the drops as they are falling, or a slower shutter speed to blur the drops, there are endless creative possibilities with rain. If you really don't want to venture out, there is always the option to capture macro raindrops on your windows. 

Tamron lenses are available from Intro2020.