Advice

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Get inspired this Autumn

Techniques

29 September 2009 14:18

It's all to easy to leave your camera in the bag as the evenings draw in and the leaves start dropping from the trees, but there's a wealth of photographic oppourtunity awaiting you after the summer sun has gone, it's just a matter of knowing what to look for.

Read on for our 5 expert's top tips for capturing the autumnal ambience and get set to capture your own sensational seasonal images!

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Enter your best autumn themed shots into our Autumn Inspiration competition for a chance to win one of 10 4GB Professional memory cards from Lexar.

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Here are our 5 tips for shooting better autumn photos

Landscapes
Autumn Mist
Funghi
Leaves
Waterfalls

Landscapes

Autumn is the perfect time to shoot landscapes. The countryside is alive with colour and the short days mean you don’t have to get up too early or stay out late to shoot when the light is at its best. Low directional light always helps to bring out the form of the Autumnal landscape by accentuating the contrast between shadow and highlight. Use a tripod and a cable release to prevent camera shake and a polarising filter to help bring out the colours.

Here, Photo answers user Chrisgin has got it right with this beautiful view across an autumnal lake.

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Autumn Mist

The wet and cool autumn climate means there’s a lot of atmospheric mist about so make sure you have a go at capturing some with your camera. Your best chance of catching some mist is first thing in the morning and near an open source of water like a river or lake. There’ll be lots of water vapour around, but the higher the sun rises the more it will burn away so it’s vital to get to your location early.
Remember that the light tones of the mist may fool your camera’s metering system, causing it to underexpose the scene. To combat this, either shoot in RAW and tweak the exposure when you convert the pic, or dial in a little positive Exposure Compensation when you shoot – +0.7 or +1EV should do the trick.

lulubelle’s superb shot is a great example of what you get if you’re up early enough!

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Funghi

While on an Autumnal walk in the forest, don’t forget your DSLR to take advantage of the abundance of fungi that’s growing this time of year. Fungus can be very small so you’re going to get the best results using a macro lens. Get down to your subjects’ level for the best viewpoint, and don’t be afraid to remove any twigs or leaves spoiling the scene. Finally switch to manual focus to make sure the cap is nice and sharp and you’re ready to shoot. Watch our video on Shooting Funghi.

Photo answers user Geoffrey Baker has done a great job isolating this lone mushroom from the background.

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Leaves

It’s the time of the year where all the trees around us are beginning to shed their leaves. This makes it the ideal time to venture out with your camera and a carrier bag to pick up a few of the most vivid ones. Back in the comfort of your own home, try laying out a few of your favourites against an unusual surface or background to create a stunning, autumnal still life. There’s no time to lose. Get out there and create your own still life masterpiece this autumn and don’t forget to share them with us, by posting them on the gallery.

Many leaves have some excellent textures to them, as CeriDJones, one of our Photoanswers users has found out with their macro lens.

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Waterfalls

When the light¹s not right for the wider landscape view, focus on a detail instead such as a waterfall. It needn¹t be the size of the Niagara Falls though, just a splash of white water is all you need. Try using a slow shutter speed to blur the water for a tranquil, milky effect. It¹s easy! Go to aperture priority mode (A or Av), put your camera on a tripod, select a low ISO (100 or 200) and finally choose a small aperture (f/16 or f/22). Now take your shot. If it¹s bright, you might want to use an ND filter as well mind you check out this video for a detailed explanation.