Autumn
is one of my favourite seasons for photography as it’s filled with cool nights,
misty mornings, golden lighting, dew drops on spider webs, reflections of
autumn colours in the water, long shadows and fallen leaves which all create a
great atmosphere. But most importantly, the striking colours in the environment.
The
main advantage of living around trees, parks
and woodland areas, is that you don’t have to travel far to capture the autumn
colours. Most of the woodland locations are easily accessed by public
footpaths. Local parks provide plenty of opportunities for close-up nature photography.
The
colours at the beginning of autumn can be disappointing, it is advisable to
wait till they are rich and vibrant, which is usually at the end of October
till end of November. However, keep an eye on your surroundings and keep your
gear and equipment ready to capture the best lighting.
Here
are a few tips to keep in mind when taking autumn photographs:
Camera
settings:
SLR:
To photograph Landscapes, set the camera on Aperture Mode at f11 or f16, the
camera will adjust the shutter speed accordingly. For Close-up Nature
photography, use an aperture of f4 or f5.6. The use of a tripod is recommended
as exposures will be long.
Compact
Camera: Set the camera on Landscape Mode. For close-ups use mode. These modes are also
available on SLRs.
I
took the below photograph using my compact camera. The photograph has been
changed to sepia using an editing software. Many compact cameras have an
inbuilt facility which allows you to change the tone of your image. (This can
be found in the menu settings of your camera). I always take two photographs of
the same scene, one in colour and other in b/w or sepia.
Framing:
Trees
make dominant focal points and create the finest displays, use ‘rule of third’
to frame the scene. (You can read further on the ‘rule of third’ on my blog –
link noted below).
Catch
the light:
The
warm light at early morning or evening is perfect to capture some stunning
autumn photographs, so get up early to photograph the ‘Golden Light’.
 |
| The Golden bench |
 |
| Bridge on River Thames |
Move
closer to concentrate on detail:
Instead
of just photographing wider landscapes, create a much stronger composition by
moving closer to the subject. Focus all the attention on a single subject, such
as dew drops on leaves, spider webs, leaves, berries, long shadows, etc.
Visit
the local park or the woodlands:
Take
photographs at a local park or the woodlands.
Photograph
wildlife:
Photograph horses in a field or wildlife in your garden. Feed
the birds - putting food and water out will encourage birds in your garden so
you don’t have to travel far to photograph the wildlife.
Use
backlighting:
Position the sun behind a tree trunk or branches to
capture the vibrant colours of the leaves, long shadows and silhouettes
Photograph
the autumn mist:
 |
| Man in the mist |
To
capture mist, it is necessary to get up at dawn before sunrise or wait till it
is just about to set. Rivers, lakes and open fields are the most likely
locations to have mist. Exposures can be tricky, set the exposure at +1 stop to
prevent the mist or fog being recorded as dull murky grey.
Here
is a small list of locations where you can take autumn photographs:
Local Parks,
Woodland
walks near you.
New
Forest - for both autumn colours and wildlife
Kew
Gardens – autumn colours
Wakehurst
Place – autumn colours
Westonbrit
Arboretum (Tetbury, Gloucester, GL8 8QS) – autumn colours
Richmond
Park (not far from Kew Gardens) – autumn colours and wildlife (herds of deer)
Bhupinder Ghatahora
