Isn't Autumn the Best For Photography?

So once again, the Autumn season is just around the corner… Many of you know me as a passionate Winter Photographer to a point that some of you even thought that I couldn’t photograph anything else but white winter scenes! Well, be assured that I do know how to photograph all the seasons! But I do have to admit that I have a preference for the next two upcoming ones starting with Autumn and then Winter.

AMAZING COLOUR PALETTE

Autumn is the season when everything will sadly be going into a dormant state but it is also the season that offers the most vibrant color palette! What a contrasty sentence right? I don’t know in which part of the world you are located but here in Eastern Canada, we are very lucky to have quite a variety of different trees which all together gives us an incredible palette with every possible shade of yellow, orange, red, burgundy…all together to create something that doesn’t even look real!

OPPOSITE COLOURS

In photography in general, we always love to work with opposite colours of the visible light spectrum. I normally hate to take my camera out on bright days with empty blue skies. I have to admit that an empty blue sky does work amazingly well with a bright yellow foliage from trees in Autumn. Blue and Yellow being two opposite colours of the visible light spectrum will always be a winning combination! They will for sure create an impact on any image!

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Timing is everything with autumn colours…a couple days can make a big difference! I would highly recommend that you scout very carefully in order to achieve perfection. You can always rely on fall colour prevision apps to predict the conditions…I had both good and bad results when using those said apps. There is nothing like having a proper visual of the scene you plan to photograph. Some National Parks have live cameras which will give you a pretty accurate visual of the conditions at one given location. The best way to predict fall colours will of course be to go in person and see for yourself. That way, you will not only have a chance to see how the conditions are evolving, you could also scout for compositions and be sure to be ready when the right time comes.

FALLEN TREE LEAVES

One great composition tip is to use a couple fallen tree leaves as a foreground element. They will for sure catch your viewers’ eye and create an amazing impact in any composition. They will for sure tell a great story! Try to find an arrangement of leaves that has colours that compliment your scene well. Try to find leaves that will actually point to your main subject… Now the one question I often get when people see some of my images, were those leaves really there when I took the images? Who cares really…photography is Art! You are the story teller and it is your job to tell a great story! And speaking of compositions tips, you could as well have a look at my article FINDING IMPACTFUL FOREGROUNDS and learn more about how I compose my images.

CIRCULAR POLARIZER FILTER

One piece of equipment that must not be neglected at any time but more specifically during Autumn has to be a Circular Polarizer Filter. Since most tress have quite reflective foliage, the leaves will automatically reflect light from the sky on them. And just like a reflection on water, you can have better control of reflective light on foliage if you use a Circular Polarizer Filter correctly. When used correctly, a Circular Polarizer Filter will enhance the colors of the tree leaves in your images.

GO MINIMALIST

As a photographer, I am a real sucker for details. I simply love textures and colours! The Autumn season is definitely right there on top of my list as a favorite of mine to photograph details like fallen tree leaves on the ground. I love to display their repetitive shapes, their beautiful vibrant colours and textures! So when ever you go for a walk in a forest, pay attention to where you step…you might be walking on a potentially great image!

…IN CONCLUSION

I sincerely hope this article will give you enough inspiration to go out and enjoy yourself in this kingdom of vibrant colours! Autumn has so much beauty to offer! And not only just that, it smells amazing! And spending time outside is so good for our souls. Some people hate winter…so to those people, here’s your last chance to spend some quality time outside before we all start to freeze our butts for a couple months!