Every season has its own special magic for photographers and autumn is no different. With its wide range of colours; rich palette of browns, splashes of reds, hints of yellows and touches of greens, this is a great time to capture memorable photos. But where or when do you start to capture this?
An early start
You may have heard it many times before, but it is still true – get up early and shoot in that magic hour after the sun rises. The sun is low in the sky, giving a soft, warm illumination that enhances an autumn landscape.
A light fog or mist is often part of an autumn morning, and this atmospheric condition can be put to good use in photographs. ‘Aerial perspective’ is an effect where distant subjects appear much paler than those close by. You have probably seen this in a landscape of receding hills – the further away they are, the lower the contrast.
You can also make use of the effect in thicker mist, or even fog. In these conditions, the distant hills will not be visible at all, but nearer subjects, such as a tree, may still be clear. If you photograph this subject against an open landscape, it will still show good contrast, but the background will be very pale. This makes the main subject stand out in the photograph.
Now you are up early, how do you select your location and subject?
