Autumn Photography Explained
Autumn’s a great time of year for photography. With bright varied colours, silhouettes and the potential for snow, the possibilities for your photography are endless.
Below are a few tips and tricks and a bit of advice on how to capture this great season is all of it’s glory.
What Equipment To Take On A Shoot
- Torch
- Macro Lens
- Wide Angle Lens
- Boots (waterproof)
- Tripod
- External Flash
- Lens Hood
- Waterproofs
- Lens Filters (ND, Polarizer etc)
Where To Capture That Autumn Feel
Obvious choices for the location of your shoot are wooded areas and forests as these will be full of colour, fallen leaves and contain wonderful contrast between light and shadow.
Street photography elements can also yield fantastic results at this time of year as you can mix the urban feel with that of natural colour.
Look out for urban parks and tree lined streets as the foliage will take on a magical colour that’ll provide a great contrast against the monotone colours of the urban environment.
Another great reason for heading to an urban environment is the chance to capture candid, street and portrait shots. These give another dimension to Autumn photographs.
Rivers, streams and lakes are also great Autumn photography destinations.
Moving water can be used to create a great effect when the shutter speed is slowed down (easier in low light conditions). Still water, such as in a lake can be used to reflect the colour of the surrounding treeline and sky.
If you have the fortune to live near a waterfall then this offers a great opportunity during the Autumn months to capture the moving water, shine from the rocks and reflection from the pool at the base of the fall all in one shot.
Country lanes are a great location for Autumn shots. Using either the straight lines or a curve in the road to create leading lines which guide the eye through the image. Coupled with the Autumn colour of the treeline this makes for an awesome photograph.
Using The Golden Hours To Enhance Your Photos
Taking photos during the day or at night can offer stunning results.
For a truly wonderful golden glow to your photos which adds warmth and enhances the natural colours of the scene, try to get out and about during the ‘golden hours’.
The time to venture out for great light is as the sun is rising or just before it sets.
A great way to know when to get out on a shoot is by checking an app such as ‘Sunrise Sunset’. There are both free and chargeable versions of this app for the iphone and they both let you know when the sun will rise and set (obviously, hence the name!) on any given day in any area.
You may want to take a torch for these shoots as you want to be on the scene prior to either the sun rising or after the sun sets in order to capture the changing light conditions. You should also take an external flash with you (if you have one) just in case.
Lens Filters
Polarizing filters are especially useful at this time of year. They can be put to great use to enhance the colour of the scene and especially the blue sky.
They can also be used to alter the appearance of water as you can choose whether to show the reflection or ‘cut’ right through the surface of the water and eliminate any reflections.
Using colour filters is also a great way to enhance a scene. Graduated filters come in all manner of colours and are interchangeable if using a Cokin system or similar.
Using Contrast In Your Photographs
As with the urban shots, finding contrast in rural scenes is also an effective way to achieve a shot with impact. A bright red leaf on the surface of dark water, a golden coloured tree against the backdrop of a deep blue sky, all of these scenes will have impact, colour, contrast and as a result will look really impressive.
If elements of the scene aren’t there naturally then there’s nothing wrong with moving fallen leaves and other items such as rocks etc around to create a scene. Just remember, if it doesn't look natural then it‘ll ruin the overall effect, so be careful and take your time to create a nice, NATURAL scene.
Macro Shoots
If you have a Macro lens then put it to use during the Autumn months. There are plenty of opportunities during this time for some great close up shots of leaves and the veins running through them.
Getting low down and capturing the woodland floor or even getting up close and personal with the animals/insects can all produce wonderful results.
Taking shots of fungus is also an alternative to the standard Autumn shots. With the right light you can create a magical scene that seems like another world. Macro usually requires good light or a flash and this should be taken into consideration when planning this type of shoot.
Mist And Fog
One of my favourite shoots is early in the morning or late at night when there’s mist and fog about. Using mist/fog to create silhouettes and eerie scenes is something that always draws my attention to a photo.
A good place to look during Autumn for mist is near a river or lake as the water will be slightly warmer than the air above it (usually). This creates a blanket of mist over and near the river.
Fields next to a river, that may well be lined with colourful trees, should also have a misty covering.
A scene including a completely still river/lake covered with mist, coupled with the colours in Autumn is a lovely capture.
Mist and fog can also be used to soften the scene and colours therein, creating a magical effect.
Rain
Autumn is of course a wetter season than Summer (in almost every country other than the UK!).
Using the rain is an effective way to introduce movement and interest to your photos. It is also a great way to capture some interesting candid photos of people running to get out of the rain!
Use The Wind
Using the wind rather than battling against it can also add drama and movement to an Autumn shot.
You’ll require a tripod or surface to rest your camera on as you’ll want anything that’s not supposed to be moving in the shot to remain still.
Set the shutter to a slower speed and remember to use the self timer to avoid any camera shake. This should create a scene that has movement, colour and drama.
Autumn Photography Ideas
- Fallen Leaves
- Fungus
- Low Level Shots
- Mixing Autumn Colour And Urban Structures/colours
- Slow Shutter Speed Streams/rivers
- Autumn Sunset Panorama
- Using the Wind To Capture Movement In Trees
- Misty Mornings
- Portraits Of People Kicking Leaves Around
- Frosty Mornings
- Bare Tree Silhouettes
