8 Tips for Great Shots this Autumn

Fall involves vibrant colors, soft light, fog, and a mystical and ever-changing atmosphere. All this makes it a magnificent season to take out your camera and enjoy photography and that is why in this article we want to give you some key tips to get the most out of this beautiful season in your shots.

1. Choose the place and time well

Normally when we think of autumn photography we have in mind open landscapes or groups of trees with intense reddish and orange foliage. A trick to give this setting a more special touch and accentuate the colors of the vegetation is to include the reflection in puddles, lakes or rivers, for example.

We can also find autumnal details in the city, as in a walk, a market or an avenue full of trees.

There are many more amazing places in the world to shoot fall. The most important thing is to make sure you visit them at the right time. In higher latitude locations, you can shoot fall earlier, so be sure to do your own research to plan when is the best time.

2. Find the best light

There are two types of light that are ideal for photographing the color of autumn: the diffuse light of a cloudy sky and the light of the magic hour. These two types of light have very different characteristics and produce different effects on your autumn shots.

Cloudy and rainy days are perfect for photographing waterfalls and fall forests. The light is softer and lighter, giving a mystical touch to your shots. This light along with water generally make the fall colors stand out.

Por otro lado, la hora mágica genera una luz mucho más cálida, produciendo un efecto completamente diferente. La hora mágica realza los tonos cálidos de los colores del otoño, volviéndolos más saturados. 

3. Play with color

Color is one of the main elements that makes shooting during fall so special. By photographing the colors of autumn you get more depth and a more captivating atmosphere.

If you want to go a step further, try looking for color combinations that create a big impact. For example, color contrasts, such as a red leaf falling on gray asphalt, will make your image stand out more.

4. Change the color temperature

Although in autumn we are surrounded by colour, the exact tone that we wish on our shots does not always come out accurately. To make sure that this is not the case, we advise you to modify the color temperature of your camera manually by playing with the white balance.

You can also change the overall image temperature during your image editing / processing.

5. Filters may come in handy

The polarizer filter is a filter that will help you to saturate colors, achieve higher contrast and eliminate unwanted reflections from shiny surfaces. It is especially useful in streams, waterfalls, and forests.

The ND filter will help you reduce the brightness, when its excess prevents us from using slow speeds in long exposures. With a neutral density filter we will be able to easily achieve the silk effect in rivers, waterfalls, etc.

6. Experiment with different perspectives

We often tend to shoot from a normal perspective or take photographs that we have seen many times. While keeping our own style and enjoying the process, we must, as far as possible, strive to find new angles, perspectives or frames that provide that original touch.

7. Look for details

In order to capture the essence of autumn, it is not always necessary to resort to open spaces or large landscapes. A raindrop on a leaf, a mushroom or some chestnuts open on the ground on some leaves can be enough subjects to convey the magic of this season.

For this type of photography, you will find usegul bright fixed lenses with a 35mm or 50mm focal range (such as the Tamron 35mm f / 2.8 Di III OSD or the Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM), macro lenses (such as the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM Contemporary) and short telephoto lenses (such as the Tamron 70-300mm f / 4.5-6.3 Di III RXD).

8. Protect yourself from the weather

Our last advice is to adequately protect both yourself and your photographic material. The weather at this time of year is usually humid and changeable.

For your photographic getaways, we recommend you to wear comfortable and waterproof clothing and to protect your camera, do not forget to bring a waterproof case or a cover for your backpack.