Photographs are often guided by color. Green is a prevalent color thanks to grass and foliage, yet it can also be a tricky color to work with, as green color casts can wreak havoc on skin tones. But, when done successfully, green can symbolize harmony or growth, or simply draw the viewer’s eye into the photo. This week, we’re highlighting five photographs that master the color green from photographers Stacey Garfield, Sissela Johansson, Oscar Castro, Darlene Sanchez, and Jaime Fletcher. 

Stacey Garfield, Outshined Photography 

Stacey Garfield of Outshined Photography was stepping away from her newly married clients to give them a few moments by themselves when she saw how the tree perfectly framed the couple on the waterfall, inspiring this photograph. The couple eloped in the rainforest before heading to this waterfall that Garfield had scouted previously. She took the image with the Sony a7R V and a Sony 24-70mm lens. 

For color, Garfield says that she likes to keep them as true to the scene as possible, so the viewer feels like they are standing right there with them. “It can be challenging working with green because it can affect a person’s skin tone,” she said. “When post processing the image, you must ensure the skin tones look natural and don’t pick up a green hue or tint. There are also so many shades of green in nature, which are also affected by how much sunshine is present at the time.  The shades of green can vary from a deep, dark tone of green to a very yellow shade of green. I always make note of the shade of green for the day when I’m shooting in a forest or by a waterfall. I have photographed in the same location multiple times and the images will look different shades of green based on the weather conditions and time of day.” 

Sissela Johansson, Photography by Sissela 

When Sissela Johansson of Photography by Sissela took this portrait of her sister, it captured the contemplative mood that reflected her personal life at the time. The green background draws out the green in the subject’s eyes and contrasts well with the warm colors of her hair. She took the image with her Canon 5D II and a Canon 50mm f1.4 and a diffused Neewer Speedlite. 

“Color is everything to me when I work,” she said. “I love playing with contrasts and seeing how different tones play off of each other. That’s why you’ll see a lot of monochromatic looks as well as a lot of contrast color looks in my portfolio. Green is one of my favorite colors to work with. I love the depth and richness of it and the only time I have challenges with it, is if the green has too much yellow in it. That sometimes poses challenges to my toning workflow. But the challenges are minimal and easily mitigated. On top of that, green is a color that works with a lot of different people, so it’s incredibly versatile.” 

Oscar Castro, Oscar Castro Photographer 

Oscar Castro of Oscar Castro Photographer was inspired by fresh, minimalist paintings when he captured this bridal portrait. He searched the venue for a clean background and found this green canvas. He took the image with the Canon R6 and RF 35mm lens. 

“I always try that in my photos there are no more than 3 colors,” the photographer said of his style. “And in this case, green is the predominant one that made the bride stand out. Sometimes in green shades, I have to pay more attention to the editing and skin tone.” 

Darlene Sanchez 

As photographer Darlene Sanchez of Darlene Sanchez Photography created this photo, she wanted to create an image that felt both beautiful and empowering for this mother-to-be. She built the pose and light around that goal — and embraced the color green in the process. She captured the portrait using the Sony a7 IV with an 85mm lens. 

“Green can be challenging when it comes to foliage because it reflects a significant amount of light that causes subjects to be overexposed,” she said. “I tend to underexpose a little bit when working with foliage due to this. I’ll bring the light up on my subject in post-production. Working with so much green has definitely influenced my style of lighting and editing as I tend to lean towards a ‘moody’ look in general.” 

Jaime Fletcher, Jaime Denise Photo 

A big snowstorm hit during this wedding, changing the original plans to this picturesque grove location (before heading to take photos in the snow, too). Jaime Fletcher of Jaime Denise Photo captured the image as the couple looked around the location. In this scene, the greens are complemented by the warm contrasting tones in the tree bark. She captured the shot using the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Canon 35mm f1.4 II — and she also took a photo of the scene on film. 

“My absolute first priority when photographing people in a landscape is making sure that the landscape is true to color,” she said. “I find my work to be film inspired and my favorite thing about film is how greens pop and are so vibrant. This is a representation of that.” 

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more timeless photos, eye-catching wedding photos and portraits. Submit your wedding, editorial, documentary and other interesting imagery to: [email protected].