Free Top Tips For Autumn Photography | Equipment | Approach

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Autumn is a favourite season for many outdoor photographers. The softer light with the sun being lower and the wonderful transition of summer greens to the rainbow of autumn colours makes it an ideal period for any level of photographer to go outdoors and enjoy the environment and make photos that convey their interpretation of this special period. Those interpretations could mean any number of ways to photograph, macro, abstract, close-up or something wider to show more than one element.
This guide is aimed at all those who want to make the most of their outdoor autumn photography adventures over the next 3-4 months. I’ve broken down the preparation required and considerations into several categories to help you plan and maximise each trip you make out with your camera.

Here are my top tips to make the most of your autumn photography

Timing and weather

Go out early morning or later afternoon for the softest light when the sun is lower in the sky.
Overcast, even drizzly days are not a write-off, the diffused light will make the colours appear even more saturated
Bright sunny days are good for reflections/shadows and backlit subjects like leaves but the high contrast light can make exposure and good mid-tones difficult to achieve without exposure bracketing.

Equipment

A tripod will be essential if you want to do close/macro shots where smaller apertures and/or longer shutter speeds are required
A polarising filter will dramatically reduce the amount of reflected light on shiny surfaces (leaves especially)
Zoom lenses that cover a good range 50mm-200mm will allow you to isolate your subject and zoom in to a specific area of interest. They also allow you to compress the DoF (blur the background)
Use a remote release cable or self-timer to fire the shutter to avoid any camera shake (Remember to turn off image stabilisation if using a tripod)
Take a bin liner to kneel or even lay down on for low down shots and a plastic sandwich bag to cover your camera in drizzle/showers
Take water and snacks and warm clothing - you may be outside for a short period but standing around and becoming cold and hungry/thirsty will impact your energy.

Observation & Composition

Spend time evaluating, observing and looking at details and repeat this practice constantly throughout your time on location. For me, 80% of making an image is doing nothing other than observing and considering and only 20% execution.
Move around your subject to view from multiple angles, heights and perspectives. Pay attention to changes, in contrast, colour, texture, background and foreground objects
Don’t get lazy and plonk your tripod down and then use the same lens/settings for every shot. Maybe invest in my viewing frames to encourage you to explore each composition without the restriction of your tripod.
Vary your approach. Macro, abstract, ICM/Movement, Cameo shots - Framing stories, metaphors and essential autumn flavours
What you exclude is often more important than what you include. Discard anything that distracts from your subject matter. Identify your compelling subject and make it the star of the show
Observe the light and pay attention to where it falls on subjects and frame accordingly. Avoid the brightest areas being on the edges of the frame.
Get down low and look at compositions at your feet as well as the obvious brightly coloured trees
Consider how many colours are in the composition, sometimes less is more effective, just two or three colours maximum.
Try to avoid direct sunlight on your subject or shooting into direct sunlight - will create very heavy contrast, reducing colours to shadows and highlights.
Consider the visual weight of all the elements in the image and frame to create a balanced composition - look at opposites, diagonals, vertical and horizontals - are they balanced visually (think of a set of scales)
Think about the foreground, lines, patterns, shapes and direction of how the eye moves through the frame - create a pathway for the eye to follow but don’t just take a shot of a path because its a “leading line” - that won’t cut it in terms of creative thinking.

Technical

Check your exposure on every shot and re-shoot if needed. Sometimes a bracketed set of exposures is the only way to capture the full dynamic range of light
Check your depth of field and sharpness/focus point for every shot. Don’t be lazy and just assume you nailed it the first time or the last time. It pays to check it at the time.
Set your white balance to cloudy/shady or do a custom white balance if you want to capture colour accurately.
Vary your metering mode to create a different exposure. Spot metering, for example, on a bright leaf will make everything else in the frame darker