Photographers: What are your fall foliage tips?

Written by

Warning: this content is older than 365 days. It may be out of date and no longer relevant.

It’s that time of year again in New England:

One of my absolute favorite times of year. One of the best photo opportunities during the year for really great photos.

That said, I’m still a newbie at photography. Yeah, I own a decent amount of gear, but I’m still getting the hang of it.

Here’s what I’m currently using:

– Nikon D40
– Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens (the ultimate walkabout lens!)
– Nikon SB-600 speed flash with Omnibounce in pocket

Here’s my question to you, fellow foliage fans and photographers:

What tips, tricks, locations, and methods do you use for great fall photos that would help a relative newbie? (I know one of them is just play around and try lots of different things, since DSLR “film” is effectively free)

Please feel free to leave links to your own photos in the comments!

Did you enjoy this blog post? If so, please subscribe right now!

Get this and other great articles from the source at www.ChristopherSPenn.com

Comments

21 responses to “Photographers: What are your fall foliage tips?”

September 30, 2008

SilkyAngela

One thing I learned about outdoor photography that makes sense, but never occurred to me, is the need to often force the flash even in sunny conditions. This is especially helpful when shooting in shade or areas where sunlight comes through trees and casts odd shadows. Forcing the flash gives more vibrant true colors and removes the shadows. I also highly recommend using a tripod and remote or timer for perfectly still and focused photos, maybe even slow the shutter speed for extended exposure for new effects. These are probably old news to you, but these are discoveries as a newbie that have helped me the most with outdoor shooting.

Reply
September 30, 2008

Morgan

If the foliage is past peak in the low-lands, get into the mountains for peak.
Obvious, dusk or dawn for optimal photos
Polarizing filter as a good investment
if you're going to be in Vermont – I-89 from Burlington to Sharon has LOADS of opportunities where small villages peak out from beautifully colored trees (there's a small road-side waterfall in Sharon I've been meaning to catch) Smugglers Notch is nice too.

Reply
September 30, 2008

Christopher S. Penn

Reply
September 30, 2008

Daryl Tay

Regular MoC listener here! I don't have tips per se, but I just took a photowalk here in Kingston and I put my camera right next to the floor to take a picture, which i then titled “fall”

http://daryltay.net/2008/09/photowalk-kingston-…

Reply
September 30, 2008

Kate Shorey

Ironically I turn off the flash, even in darkened conditions like dusk.. less glare and better lighting, at least on people. I will have to try using the flash for sunny pix! Thx, Kate in Bristol, Connecticut

Reply
September 30, 2008

SilkyAngela

One thing I learned about outdoor photography that makes sense, but never occurred to me, is the need to often force the flash even in sunny conditions. This is especially helpful when shooting in shade or areas where sunlight comes through trees and casts odd shadows. Forcing the flash gives more vibrant true colors and removes the shadows. I also highly recommend using a tripod and remote or timer for perfectly still and focused photos, maybe even slow the shutter speed for extended exposure for new effects. These are probably old news to you, but these are discoveries as a newbie that have helped me the most with outdoor shooting.

Reply
September 30, 2008

Morgan

If the foliage is past peak in the low-lands, get into the mountains for peak.
Obvious, dusk or dawn for optimal photos
Polarizing filter as a good investment
if you're going to be in Vermont – I-89 from Burlington to Sharon has LOADS of opportunities where small villages peak out from beautifully colored trees (there's a small road-side waterfall in Sharon I've been meaning to catch) Smugglers Notch is nice too.

Reply
September 30, 2008

Christopher S. Penn

Reply
September 30, 2008

Daryl Tay

Regular MoC listener here! I don't have tips per se, but I just took a photowalk here in Kingston and I put my camera right next to the floor to take a picture, which i then titled “fall”

http://daryltay.net/2008/09/photowalk-kingston-…

Reply
October 1, 2008

Kate Shorey

Ironically I turn off the flash, even in darkened conditions like dusk.. less glare and better lighting, at least on people. I will have to try using the flash for sunny pix! Thx, Kate in Bristol, Connecticut

Reply
October 1, 2008

Dan | framesmedia

I'd echo Morgan's comment above to choose dawn or dusk. Shadows are great compositional tools.
I'd the ditch the flash, unless it's pitch dark. Make good use of the natural/available light.
Study fall photographs that interests you. Observe how the image is composed. The goal is not to copy-paste the exact composition (unless you want to), but to get a rough guideline. Observe the direction of light.
A tripod will come in handy.

http://tinyurl.com/54zt9o

Reply
October 1, 2008

Patrick Prothe

Equipment is so refined these days that it's easy to take a technically correct picture. It's not so much what gear you have, but operating it like you drive a car (i.e. the technical aspects are automatic).

What I believe is important is being at observation – slowing down, looking for the picture within the picture. Capture the “scene” then look for the details that tell the story and capture the mood. Look at the landscape from the perspective of the leaf lying on the ground. Beyond expressing what you 'see' try both selective focus and incredible depth of field.

I once took an amazing workshop with Jay Maisel (http://www.jaymaisel.com), one of the foremost 'color' photographers around, and a couple of points he imparted are:

– Pay attention to the corners of the frame and the center will take care of itself
– Take a picture in color that makes absolutely no sense in black and white

Enjoy – Fall is also my favorite time of year . . .

Patrick

Reply
October 1, 2008

Marko

Hi Chris – Nice shot.

My tip would be to pay close attention to the brightness level of the fall scene.
A direct shaft of light on the leaves for example will likely blow out the highlights in the leaves. But those same leaves on a cloudy day will have a MUCH richer colour.
DSLR's are notorious for blowing out the highlights so it's much easier to shoot at a time of reduced brightness (shade – cloudy day – around sunrise/sunset etc.)

Hope that helps,

Marko

Reply
October 1, 2008

Dan | framesmedia

I’d echo Morgan’s comment above to choose dawn or dusk. Shadows are great compositional tools.
I’d the ditch the flash, unless it’s pitch dark. Make good use of the natural/available light.
Study fall photographs that interests you. Observe how the image is composed. The goal is not to copy-paste the exact composition (unless you want to), but to get a rough guideline. Observe the direction of light.
A tripod will come in handy.

http://tinyurl.com/54zt9o

Reply
October 1, 2008

Patrick Prothe

Equipment is so refined these days that it's easy to take a technically correct picture. It's not so much what gear you have, but operating it like you drive a car (i.e. the technical aspects are automatic).

What I believe is important is being at observation – slowing down, looking for the picture within the picture. Capture the “scene” then look for the details that tell the story and capture the mood. Look at the landscape from the perspective of the leaf lying on the ground. Beyond expressing what you 'see' try both selective focus and incredible depth of field.

I once took an amazing workshop with Jay Maisel (http://www.jaymaisel.com), one of the foremost 'color' photographers around, and a couple of points he imparted are:

– Pay attention to the corners of the frame and the center will take care of itself
– Take a picture in color that makes absolutely no sense in black and white

Enjoy – Fall is also my favorite time of year . . .

Patrick

Reply
October 1, 2008

Marko

Hi Chris – Nice shot.

My tip would be to pay close attention to the brightness level of the fall scene.
A direct shaft of light on the leaves for example will likely blow out the highlights in the leaves. But those same leaves on a cloudy day will have a MUCH richer colour.
DSLR's are notorious for blowing out the highlights so it's much easier to shoot at a time of reduced brightness (shade – cloudy day – around sunrise/sunset etc.)

Hope that helps,

Marko

Reply
October 4, 2008

Becky McCray

Chris, I just went through your fall foliage pics on Flickr, and could follow your experimentation. Excellent shots! You're doing great work with the light, and with getting up close to capture the detail.

Fall colors come in such large scale, one trick I've used is to focus in on the small scale, and finding a central focus of interest. Letting a few leaves tell the story of the whole scene.

Here's one of my better shots, with backlight playing an important role:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjmccray/1987358260/

Keep shooting!

Reply
October 4, 2008

kit

Hi Christopher! It is my favorite time of year for photos also. Last fall I took 2 weeks during October to drive around Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York. It was awesome! My vote is for Vermont's color, since there are more maples there, and the colors are outstanding.

My tip is, you have to get up and be at your site before the sun rises. I know this is not for the light hearted, but, the most interesting photos I have taken have all been at this time of day. Naturally, you have to scout the place out beforehand, and maybe on that Saturday or Sunday a.m., you make it a point to be adventurous, and just do it. You will be enamoured with the world, so please try it if you haven't before. The angles of the sun can be very striking.
Thanks, and happy photographing.

Reply
October 4, 2008

beckymccray

Chris, I just went through your fall foliage pics on Flickr, and could follow your experimentation. Excellent shots! You're doing great work with the light, and with getting up close to capture the detail.

Fall colors come in such large scale, one trick I've used is to focus in on the small scale, and finding a central focus of interest. Letting a few leaves tell the story of the whole scene.

Here's one of my better shots, with backlight playing an important role:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjmccray/1987358260/

Keep shooting!

Reply
October 4, 2008

kit

Hi Christopher! It is my favorite time of year for photos also. Last fall I took 2 weeks during October to drive around Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York. It was awesome! My vote is for Vermont's color, since there are more maples there, and the colors are outstanding.

My tip is, you have to get up and be at your site before the sun rises. I know this is not for the light hearted, but, the most interesting photos I have taken have all been at this time of day. Naturally, you have to scout the place out beforehand, and maybe on that Saturday or Sunday a.m., you make it a point to be adventurous, and just do it. You will be enamoured with the world, so please try it if you haven't before. The angles of the sun can be very striking.
Thanks, and happy photographing.

Reply
February 20, 2009

Photography

I like the way u have caught the leafs. My advice is to just keep shooting so you become familar with your camera and all it’s settings. i would also encourage you to shoot manually so that you understand how to have control over the pictures you take. another tip is to try using more natural light – shoot outside or by windows. the biggest mistake amatures make is using flash a lot. making flash look good is one of the hardest things to master! especially since the built in flashes on cameras are usually horrible. if you do use the flash, a trick to make it look more natural is to tape a piece of wax paper or white plastic bag, over it. it will diffuse the flash and soften the picture. good luck!

Reply