Fall is in the air, and so is our October Photo Contest, FALL COLORS, sponsored by Lowepro. To give you a leg up, we decided we’d scour the internet for the best tips on photographing fall foliage.
Photojojo suggests, among other things, photographing around “sunrise and sunset for the best light and color.” Get tips on gear, creative ideas, composition, and more here.
If you want to find the best color, you might consider “contact(ing) your local state parks,” whose officials will have the inside scoop. Photofocus has other creative suggestions, too–did you know that a spray bottle filled with water and a little gelatin is an invaluable tool for giving your dead fall leaves some life?
Picturecorrect reminds us that white balance might be tricky when photographing fall foliage: “If you can’t set a custom white balance, you may want to try the ‘shade’ setting. Often cameras will get confused with all of that color, and you may end up with skin tones that are strange.”
Canon Digital Learning Center is a fantastic knowledge resource in general, including these keen fall foliage tips, like cropping your frame tightly on your main subject to “meter it in isolation” and avoid confusing your exposure.
Nikon Learn & Explore also has some useful fall photography tips as well, such as considering “close-ups that are related to autumn but no to the season’s bright colors, like the image of mushrooms growing on the side of a tree.”
Road-tripping across the country? Travel Channel has some guiding advice for photographing fall foliage on the go.
Of course Outdoor Photographer has a unique perspective on photographing fall foliage, with some essential protips on how to use the dreaded RGB histogram and why flash should not be overlooked.
Pop Photo encourages you to abstract your fall photos by “isolating color and contrast” and making “impressionistic motion blurs,” among other artistic tips.
