It’s that time of the year again. Days are getting shorter, the sky is more frequently overcast, and the leaves on the trees are taking on their autumn colors. So, before the weather turns cold and wet, now is the perfect time to grab your camera, get outside, and embrace autumn photography. Here are some things to keep in mind as you take to the woods in search of that perfect photo.
What equipment should you use?
As with anything, to get good output, you need good input. For photography, the essentials include a camera, the right camera settings, a suitable lens, and an excellent subject. You can take pictures you enjoy with almost any camera, but having one with different lenses, a variety of settings, and priority aperture adjustment gives you more freedom to explore creative options.
Lens choice
Your lens and settings will dictate the centerpiece of your photograph. If you are looking to shoot landscapes, a wide-angle lens is a good option to give the composition a spacious feel, and if there are dynamic features like clouds or fog, shooting with a longer exposure time can give your photo a feeling of motion. If you are enamored with the color of a specific tree in a wider shot or some foliage on the forest floor, a telephoto lens will provide good emphasis.
Settings adjustment
A few simple settings can make the difference between a common photo and a striking one. For instance, a low ISO setting with no flash is best for capturing photos of autumn animals. Setting the zoom on your lens is also important, as it changes how much of the area will be captured and how tight or expansive the image appears. Exploring your settings and their optimal use cases allows you to create beautiful compositions, as well as experiment with new combinations.
What are the challenges of autumn photography and how do you embrace them?
Part of the joy of autumn photography is overcoming the different obstacles that shooting outside can bring. For instance, you might want to get a close-up of some leaves on the ground, but that means you cannot use your tripod setup. You may actually need to get on the ground yourself, so bringing a tarp or something similar can allow you to get those close-up shots.
Lighting can also be a challenge and make all the difference when it comes to capturing color. Some of the most striking autumn photos are landscapes with dramatic lighting, but the angle of the sun or the amount of cloud cover can be difficult to get just right. That means you’ll have to be out there at the optimal time of day to capture the transition from light to shadow. Most lighting moments that make for the best images happen spontaneously, so the more you are outside and ready to go, the better chance you have of capturing them.
Settings and ideas for photographing autumnal environments
Perhaps the most exciting feature of autumn is the dramatic color change. Finding a place to take photographs with a variety of subjects might be difficult at first, but if you can find a wooded area or even an open field, there will be no shortage of options. Colorful trees, mushrooms buried under fallen leaves, and even elusive wildlife are all excellent subjects for autumn photography.
Trees and landscapes
Trees are the go-to for fall pictures, and there’s a good reason for that. When the leaves turn red and gold, they are simply striking. Not to mention, when you find a vantage point where you can see layers upon layers of color, it creates a patchwork landscape unlike anything else. When shooting landscapes, a good rule of thumb is to balance the composition by keeping the sky to about one-third of the photo, while the landscape itself fills the rest. If you are looking to spice up your landscapes, try to find some water to capture the color in the reflection as well.
Playing with lighting can add an even further level of depth to a piece. Capturing the stillness of a forest at sunrise or the long shadows at dusk can create a stand-out photograph. Using the Aperture Priority setting on your camera will allow you to capture silhouettes against the rising or setting sun, and is also recommended for shooting landscapes or even autumn wildlife.
Life on the forest floor
Aside from the trees, other forms of life teem across the forest floor. The fallen leaves not only provide a splash of color, but also conceal autumn staples like mushrooms and insects. While not the most common subjects for autumn photos, they show a different side of the season. In order to capture these smaller signs of fall, you will likely need to find a way to get your camera close to the ground. Don’t be afraid to try creative solutions for this, but always be mindful of your equipment.
Autumnal animals on camera
Of course, there are more dynamic types of life in the autumn forest as well. Animals become more active during autumn as they work to store up food for winter or head somewhere warmer. Unlike plants and insects, however, they can be much more difficult to catch on camera. For starters, they move. You will first have to be in the right place at the right time. Additionally, they will run away if startled. Fortunately, there are several ways to work around this.
Keeping track of movement patterns is a good way to find wildlife. If you notice animals around you when you are out in the woods, checking back at the same time another day might give you the chance to snap a photo. If you aren’t lucky enough to spot one by chance, being outside at dawn or dusk is a good way to encounter wildlife, as animals are most active around these times. When you do come across wildlife, moving slowly or remaining still will allow them to acclimate to you enough, so that you can take photographs of them in their natural habitat.
Adding effects
Photographing nature can be difficult, mainly because everything is so dynamic. Maybe you finally caught those falling autumn leaves, but the sun came out from behind the clouds and changed the color you were hoping for. Perhaps the lighting was right, but every time you tried to get the right angle on a squirrel, you encountered an obstacle blocking your view. You might take the perfect shot of a landscape, but realize the color balance is off. Depending on the challenge, you may be able to enhance your photos with photo editing software.
If you’re looking to adjust color, the brightness and hue settings are the best ones to try. If the lighting in one portion of the photo is too dark compared to the rest, adjusting the contrast setting may help. This setting can also be used to increase the contrast and make the focus of your autumn composition stand out better. You may also want to use that centerpiece on its own, and in that case, a background remover would be the appropriate instrument. Fortunately, there are a number of affordable options for photo editing, including free background remover tools like depositphotos.com/bgremover.html.
Bottom line
With the right equipment and knowledge of what you need to create striking compositions, you’ll be prepared to photograph the beauty of autumn and preserve it for years to come. Enjoy!
