50mm 1.4 lens, 50mm f/5 1/125
Orange, red, green, yellow.....
There are only a handful of moments each year that provide amazing natural photographic opportunities out in the open. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time, with perfect (or unpredicted) weather conditions and light. Or be in a country that experiences natural weather such as snow, fog, amazing west coast sunsets or powerful phenomenon such as volcano eruptions or the Aurora Borealis.
Some photographers are graced with natural beauty spots on their door step (which may or may not be why they became a photographer in the first place) others are not so lucky. Beauty is however in the eye of the beholder.
There are only a handful of moments each year that provide amazing natural photographic opportunities out in the open. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time, with perfect (or unpredicted) weather conditions and light. Or be in a country that experiences natural weather such as snow, fog, amazing west coast sunsets or powerful phenomenon such as volcano eruptions or the Aurora Borealis.
Some photographers are graced with natural beauty spots on their door step (which may or may not be why they became a photographer in the first place) others are not so lucky. Beauty is however in the eye of the beholder.
24mm 2.8 lens, 24mm f/5 1/60 with Fill flash on diffuser @ 1/16
Seasons delight
One constant which is more or less the same for the majority of us is the change of seasons. Personally I love cold bright days in mid winter when the sun is low and shadows are rich and golden. However it’s a real challenge to make such a cold blue and sometimes dead looking environment come to life through the lens!
One of the best times for photography in my opinion is autumn. It’s a time of year where days can still be mild, the day light still lasts long enough to explore a new location and the sun starts to set that bit earlier thus bringing long shadows and golden hour closer to you without feeling like you have stayed up half the night!
Of course the other main attraction for photographers in autumn is the greens, yellows, browns, reds and oranges out on display! Mix these rich colours with the late autumn golden sun and you are on to a winner. Whether you are a fan of landscapes, still life, portraits or macro there is something out there for you.
One constant which is more or less the same for the majority of us is the change of seasons. Personally I love cold bright days in mid winter when the sun is low and shadows are rich and golden. However it’s a real challenge to make such a cold blue and sometimes dead looking environment come to life through the lens!
One of the best times for photography in my opinion is autumn. It’s a time of year where days can still be mild, the day light still lasts long enough to explore a new location and the sun starts to set that bit earlier thus bringing long shadows and golden hour closer to you without feeling like you have stayed up half the night!
Of course the other main attraction for photographers in autumn is the greens, yellows, browns, reds and oranges out on display! Mix these rich colours with the late autumn golden sun and you are on to a winner. Whether you are a fan of landscapes, still life, portraits or macro there is something out there for you.
50mm 1.4 lens, 50mm f/5 1/80
Ground Work
You have two options here, firstly you can scope out a location full of colourful trees (local photography forums and photography magazines can assist you here). In the UK there are many locations that advertise the autumn colours they have on display. Most are paid attractions but are big enough to still get your own space to shoot what you want. Turn up later in the day when the harsh light of the midday sun has already peaked and not only will you get better light but less crowds! Also with a bit of research you should be able to find some local woods/ forests that will have ample opportunities for some great autumn shots. Do some research in the type of trees that have the best colours and when they are on average at their best. Maple trees for example are fantastic for deep reds. Usually the last two weeks of October and first two weeks in November are best for rich colours however do bear in mind dependant on if you have had a wet or dry summer can cause the leaves to fall early or late as can harsh gales which are not uncommon in autumn. If you don’t know what you are looking for then you may turn up too early or late and miss the best time for rich colours completely!
You have two options here, firstly you can scope out a location full of colourful trees (local photography forums and photography magazines can assist you here). In the UK there are many locations that advertise the autumn colours they have on display. Most are paid attractions but are big enough to still get your own space to shoot what you want. Turn up later in the day when the harsh light of the midday sun has already peaked and not only will you get better light but less crowds! Also with a bit of research you should be able to find some local woods/ forests that will have ample opportunities for some great autumn shots. Do some research in the type of trees that have the best colours and when they are on average at their best. Maple trees for example are fantastic for deep reds. Usually the last two weeks of October and first two weeks in November are best for rich colours however do bear in mind dependant on if you have had a wet or dry summer can cause the leaves to fall early or late as can harsh gales which are not uncommon in autumn. If you don’t know what you are looking for then you may turn up too early or late and miss the best time for rich colours completely!
50mm 1.4 lens, 50mm f/5.6 1/160 with fill flash on 1/8
With a little bit of Luck
If you can go out on a bright sunny day in the late afternoon then I promise that you will not be disappointed. I recently discovered a beautiful set of maple trees in full autumn colours with striking shades of red. However when I first discovered them during the day they looked dull and not really worthy of photographing in the shade under a canopy of much taller trees. Then later on as the late afternoon sun came out from behind a cloud and shone horizontally through the taller trees (that tend to have less foliage lower down) it completely transformed the maples and all I could say was wow! I was lucky that the sun stayed out until it got dark otherwise I may have missed the shot as I was so taken a back! It’s well worth the preparation of checking weather reports etc before you set off, if you are graced with a sunny day it will be worth it trust me!
Big Ideas doesn't have to mean big equipment
Have a few ideas in mind before heading outside, a lot will depend on what equipment you have i.e. lens, camera body, tripod & flash etc. If you want some close up shots with some dreamy background bur then something like a 50mm lens either f1.4 or 1.8 would be great, these would also allow for some higher shutter speeds in the failing light which means you wouldn’t have to use a tripod or flash. The can also double as great portrait lenses.
If you want some action shots the same or similar zoom style lenses could be used, a popular and effective shot is having a friend in a deep leaf drift throwing a big bunch leaves up in the air. For this a flash can be helpful to capture the moment and keep the shutter speeds higher to avoid any shake or blur. But don’t overdo it, having the flash at too strong a level can over expose the image and you can lose much of the detailing along with the rich autumn colours. My best piece of advice would be to shoot the flash through a diffuser or even better have the flash off your camera shooting through an umbrella.
If you can go out on a bright sunny day in the late afternoon then I promise that you will not be disappointed. I recently discovered a beautiful set of maple trees in full autumn colours with striking shades of red. However when I first discovered them during the day they looked dull and not really worthy of photographing in the shade under a canopy of much taller trees. Then later on as the late afternoon sun came out from behind a cloud and shone horizontally through the taller trees (that tend to have less foliage lower down) it completely transformed the maples and all I could say was wow! I was lucky that the sun stayed out until it got dark otherwise I may have missed the shot as I was so taken a back! It’s well worth the preparation of checking weather reports etc before you set off, if you are graced with a sunny day it will be worth it trust me!
Big Ideas doesn't have to mean big equipment
Have a few ideas in mind before heading outside, a lot will depend on what equipment you have i.e. lens, camera body, tripod & flash etc. If you want some close up shots with some dreamy background bur then something like a 50mm lens either f1.4 or 1.8 would be great, these would also allow for some higher shutter speeds in the failing light which means you wouldn’t have to use a tripod or flash. The can also double as great portrait lenses.
If you want some action shots the same or similar zoom style lenses could be used, a popular and effective shot is having a friend in a deep leaf drift throwing a big bunch leaves up in the air. For this a flash can be helpful to capture the moment and keep the shutter speeds higher to avoid any shake or blur. But don’t overdo it, having the flash at too strong a level can over expose the image and you can lose much of the detailing along with the rich autumn colours. My best piece of advice would be to shoot the flash through a diffuser or even better have the flash off your camera shooting through an umbrella.
50mm 1.4 lens, 50mm f/10 1/80
Move Closer
Or maybe you are shooting real close using macro techniques. All lenses will have a minimum focus distance, many standard kit lenses are around the 15mm- 35mm mark and although the will all most likely have a little macro flower symbol on them, they are not classed as macro lenses. For real close up stuff you will need a dedicated macro lens that offers true 1:1 scaling. Popular focal lengths range from 50mm – 150mm. With these lenses you will need a tripod and shutter release cable. If you plan to use flash then you will need to use off camera flash or a body bracket (mounts flash on a bracket via the camera tripod mount and allows the flash to be well above/ below or on the side of the camera with adjustment). The amount of up close detail obtained with these lenses is phenomenal but they mainly lens themselves to abstract / still life shots when shooting autumn leaf colours.
Or maybe you are shooting real close using macro techniques. All lenses will have a minimum focus distance, many standard kit lenses are around the 15mm- 35mm mark and although the will all most likely have a little macro flower symbol on them, they are not classed as macro lenses. For real close up stuff you will need a dedicated macro lens that offers true 1:1 scaling. Popular focal lengths range from 50mm – 150mm. With these lenses you will need a tripod and shutter release cable. If you plan to use flash then you will need to use off camera flash or a body bracket (mounts flash on a bracket via the camera tripod mount and allows the flash to be well above/ below or on the side of the camera with adjustment). The amount of up close detail obtained with these lenses is phenomenal but they mainly lens themselves to abstract / still life shots when shooting autumn leaf colours.
24mm 2.8, 24mm f/16 1/120 fill flash 1/2
Just get out there!
The type of kit you have matters little, what is important is to get out there and see the amazing colours that nature has on offer this time of year. Explore both nature and new photography techniques and if you are lucky enough to find some outstanding colours one sunny evening make sure you have your camera with you!
Below are some recent images of the maple trees I described, as you can see they are stunning but what a difference the natural sunlight makes! Enjoy!
The type of kit you have matters little, what is important is to get out there and see the amazing colours that nature has on offer this time of year. Explore both nature and new photography techniques and if you are lucky enough to find some outstanding colours one sunny evening make sure you have your camera with you!
Below are some recent images of the maple trees I described, as you can see they are stunning but what a difference the natural sunlight makes! Enjoy!
