5 Tips For Taking Fall Photos
October is one of the most fun and creative months for capturing dramatic fall images. The leaves turn brilliant hues of red, orange and yellow and pumpkins pop up everywhere. Here are five tips for taking great fall photos!
1. Keep your camera with you at all times as the window of opportunity for photographing fall colors at their peak is short. Be prepared to shoot what inspires you at a moment’s notice. Don’t put off taking that photo because you think it will probably look the same tomorrow—one windstorm or cold snap and the moment could be lost until next year.
2. Take your photos just before sunset. During Autumn, the sun sits lower in the sky, resulting in beautiful, warm afternoon light. For dramatic color, try a warm polarizer filter when you’re shooting colorful red and orange trees.
3. On overcast days, use the filtered sunlight to your advantage and focus on the details, but don’t forget to crop out that gray sky. Try taking tight shots of fallen leaves, pumpkins or a curvy country road; you might also focus on waterfalls with surrounding fall color. If you think your image looks a little flat or dull, use photo-editing software to add a little contrast.
After taking your fill of fall foliage, turn your camera on your children, pets and local scarecrow to add some balance to your collection. Try an action shot by having someone toss colorful leaves in the air. Cloudy days with even light and lack of harsh shadows make for the best phototaking.
4. Bring your tripod so you can take photos in low light, use a larger aperture setting for greater depth of field if you prefer, or shoot with a longer exposure. Even after sunset during the magic hour of light, you can still capture beautiful images with brilliant color.
5.Take lots of close-ups, such as a grouping of mums, a pile of pumpkins or a single leaf against a contrasting background. Sometimes, fall landscapes can be so stunning that we try to capture everything in a single wide-angle photo, but these images often don’t have as much visual impact in smaller prints
