Autumn Leaves

Autumn (or Fall if you prefer) is a very special time for a photographer. It's the time of the year when Mother Nature uses up all the paint she's had throughout the year, before it expires in the Winter. The colours are warm, and rich, and simply fabulous!

Fall (or Autumn if you prefer, I'm fully bilingual) as a season officially lasts one-quarter of the year, but there is only a few weeks where magic happens for us photographers. It varies by location, and by year, so you have to keep your eyes open. I find that my best indicator is to look for reds. In my area, the red leaves tend to come and go very quickly, leaving a more yellow and green palette. While still nice, the reds add some needed pop to a photograph, and shouldn't be missed.

Capturing all this richness isn't as simple as pointing and clicking (it never is). You have to frame your image with a view to balancing the colour, as well as the other physical elements. And if you have a polarizing filter, this is the time to make good use of it. Leaves tend to reflect a lot of light. These reflections only create glare that reduces the contrast in the image and dulls the rich colours you're trying to capture.

If you time it right, and think about colour first, you'll have a wonderful image to keep you going through those long winter months.

   Don 

Comments

[Robert]

and one other important variable is making sure we block out the time to get out and capture the wonderful colors in the short window Fall offers. Glad you were able to get out :)

R