Photography Tip #111:
Photographing Fall Colors |
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Where are the signs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too.
(John Keats, To Autumn)
Greetings fellow photographers! So the kids are back in school, the evenings are cooling down, and Mother Nature is staging her annual color extravaganza. Autumn has arrived, that transitional period from summer to winter, when nature’s eternal conversation takes on a more mature tone. If there was ever a photography season, this is it!
Let’s talk about some of the wonderful ways to capture the color this season: |
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Don’t let the moment pass you by. Capturing the peak of the turning leaves is not easy; there is only a small window of time when those colors are in full show. However, don’t get hung up waiting for the peak. If you see a stunning patch of color, grab your camera and shoot away. Don’t let a beautiful photo opportunity slip away while waiting for the scene to peak. More often than not, an ill-timed wind storm or hard rain will change the setting for the worse. The bottom line is, if a scene strikes you, take the picture! You can always come back later, reshoot if there is an improvement, and delete the first set of shots. Also, keep in mind that the peak time frame changes slightly from year to year, so what worked last fall may not work as well during the same time this year. |
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Adapt to your shooting conditions. Fall colors will always glow with warmth when you take your photos in the early morning or late afternoon. However, have you ever seen a grove of Sugar Maples in the fog? Walking into that scene is like walking into the Garden of Eden! A thick fog or ground cover can add an unusual mystical aura. There are also huge advantages to photographing the changing leaves with an overcast sky; the colors will pop in low contrast conditions. Experiment with different times of the day and different weather conditions. Another fun thing to try is to shoot the same scene many times over the course of a few weeks (from exactly the same location, if possible). If nature cooperates, you’ll end up with a lovely photo series that reveals fall’s miraculous transformation. |
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Don’t forget the details. The natural instinct when you see a patch of color is to take a wide angle shot of the whole landscape. However, it can be very difficult to capture the grandeur of the scene with a camera. This season, think about coming in tighter on a single element of the photo. Instead of shooting a whole grove of turning aspens, isolate a single tree against a deep blue sky. Take this idea further and use your zoom feature to show the detail of a single leaf. Photograph a bend in the river with a splash of orange in the corner of the frame. Wide angle shots can be beautiful, but things really start to get interesting when you examine nature’s subtle details. |
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The whole picture – it’s harvest time! Besides the trees, there are many ways to grab some great, colorful photos this fall. Ever visit a Farmers Market in September? You can spend hours taking close ups of pumpkins, apples, squash, and flowers. Cruise by a local farm and catch a glimpse of the wonderful transition from summer to fall. Many of these scenes can make for fantastic enlargements that are suitable for framing; they add a wonderful addition to the house for the holidays. |
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The
secret ingredient. You may not know this, but the difference
between an ordinary fall photograph and a fantastic one is in
your computer! Once you choose your favorite photos, load them
on to your computer and bring them into any photo editing program,
such as Vista Photo Gallery or Picasa. You can enhance the contrast
or saturation of any photo, and then make an enlargement of
your work of art!
That’s
it for this round. Keep your camera close this fall, and don’t
procrastinate! Next time I’ll give you some tips for
photographing those special moments with your newborn baby.
Until then, Carpe Diem – Seize the Day! |
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