Ah, autumn at last! Before the arrival of winter, the trees are covered with their best colors with a gradient of red, orange, yellow … enough to fill the view!
Armed with your camera, you are surely wondering how to capture the most beautiful lights and atmospheres, on par professional photography. Here are my three best tips for making shots that finally escape the beaten track…
The Light
I had already emphasized the importance of light in the article on children’s photos entitled Capture the Moment. With a changing climate, the sky is charged with color and density. The blue is sprinkled with clouds, often a guarantee that your photos will successfully transcend the ordinary
Here are two examples of my untouched autumn shots:
Choose the so-called “Golden Hours”, those times of the day when the sun is low on the horizon and offers a warm soft light that will add a mood to your image. To take advantage of these magical moments, take your photos at sunrise or in the hour after sunset. These periods of the day also leave more freedom to your creativity because you will be able to have fun with backlights and silhouettes.
If you are looking for a special and mysterious atmosphere, mornings in the mist are also very interesting moments. Personally, I love it!
The Details
There is so much to do with these beautiful landscapes! Do not focus on colors because they are not a subject of photography. Don’t forget that the composition of your image should always be done according to the rule of thirds (which I explain in this article). Be attentive to the elements around you and you will find many topics for your autumn photos. A drop of water on a flaming red leaf, trees with colors that are reflected in a lake or a puddle, mushrooms hidden under a tree trunk… See? Just take the time to observe.
Also, have fun creating your own staging by focusing on a foreground element like a leaf that you put on a rock, a branch…
Beyond Appearances
Think outside the box and give another dimension to your photos. Why not propose, for example, a triptych creation? Break down a theme into a series of three photos. Vary the textures, choose different frames and angles of shooting to get 3 pictures that, once assembled in a triptych, will tell a story.
Finally, I suggest you use low angle to vary your shots. Your camera close to the ground, turned upward, will give a different dimension to your pictures. Try this in the forest, for example, at the foot of a pile of leaves, or a mushroom.
