fall colors photography (tips, pics, tutorial)

AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
edited October 26, 2005 in Wildlife
it's that time of year, folks :) many of us are right now thinking about where and how we'll get those great fall foliage shots. i thought i would share some tips and experience i've had, and open up a dialog where you stfers will share your fall pics and tips. so when you reply, please put (pic) or (tip) or (pics and tip) in your subject line, so folks will be able to find them!

i think first and foremost, we should be adhering to good principles of landscape photography, and for that, i started a thread a while back in which i and many excellent photographers shared some great tips:

landscape photography tips

now some specifics i've been thinking about..

* keep a journal with you at all times. as you're driving or walking around about your business, you may notice a particular road, farm, tree, building, scene etc. that you say "man, this'll look great in about 3 week's time with the leaves all red and gold!" so, write it down! note which way the light will be and at what time of day.

* don't forget your tripod, and if it's windy, get your shutter speed up there so that you don't get blurry leaves.

* remember, big wide scenics are wonderful - but you can also effectively zoom in on some subjects, so, throw the rule book out and get creative! think outside the box.

* look for river/streams and rocks, and perhaps if the fallen leaves aren't cooperative, you can place some colorful ones where you want them.

* remember the basic rules of composition, and try to get a pleasing composition that complements the scene.

* as you are shooting the landscape, bring along a friend, child, spouse, or other human subject, and include them in some of your shots. it adds to the effect, allows for the scene to be in context, and it's fun for the album, too!

* pay close attention in-post. here are some examples, sony f717 shots of mine from last october here in new york.

here's the original out of the camera, just resized. i set the contrast, sharpening, and color of my 717 (and 828) to (-) becuase i prefer to do my adjustments in post.

8979328-L.jpg

now, i remembered a thread on "post-processing: one-third of the job" so i went back and read that, and then i got thinking... and i came up with this:

8979978-O.jpg


here's what i did: first, i ran a velvia action, to increast the saturation. careful here, i used about 70% of the effect, not wanting to make it too rich. aim for something that is close to the scene as it was, but as always, *you* are the boss and if you want it punched up and vivid, then by all means, do it! then i ran cloud action, to give the sky a bit of interest. the cloud action requires some practice, else you get fake looking clouds. learn to use the opacity sliders on your layers, reducing until the effect is just right. finally, a bit of curves to give some contrast, and i was done.

by the way, many days the sky is just blah! i say, shoot anyway, you never know what you might use a shot for. here's an example, it turned out to be the logo for my website and my business cards:

8979329-L.jpg

8979335-L.jpg

post-processing: one-third of the job

velvia actions? try here:
http://search.dpreview.com/forums/search.asp?query=velvia+action&forum=1006

kbd perfect skies action is here

now again, won't you share your tips, pics, and techniques with the group? thanks!

enjoy (fall colors) photography,

Comments

  • snapapplesnapapple Registered Users Posts: 2,093 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2005
    Wow! Look what I found.
    Another search for threads with no responses turned up this.

    We can use this right now. It's fall and the tips are very timely. Challenge 50 entries can use them too. Thanks Andy for the great tips.

    Now fellow dgrinners, how about trying some of these ideas and posting some great fall colors. I especially like the idea of taking a few leaves and putting them in your shot. I live in Southern California and we don't have much fall color. But, I do have 3 liquidamber trees. They have red leaves, but they are small and grow alongside my driveway. Not a great setting. However, I could gather up a bag full of leaves off the ground and take them with me to a reservoir I know of. I could toss them on the grass or in the water. I could use the leaves in a portrait. I could buy a few pumpkings too. Hmm, the creative juices are flowing.

    Thanks again Andy. thumb.gif
    "A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." - Francis Bacon
    Susan Appel Photography My Blog
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2005
    Just what I need living in Florida, a tutorial on shooting fall colors. These are our fall colors

    40837877-L.jpg

    I just can't wait for the tutorial on how to shoot in the snow. xxbah.gif
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • Bob&GlennieBob&Glennie Registered Users Posts: 320 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2005
    Hi Andy, Right now I'm working a ton of overtime and closing date on the sale of our house is Nov.18 so I'm not going to get a lot of time to process and resize and upload our fall images server BUT we did get some very excellent photos in spite of less than ideal weather. I'll try to find this thread when I get to working on our images. If it dies I'll start another. I've read a few posts recently from guys lamenting about the rain and overcast and I've got some lovely lousy weather images to show you and some tips and encouragement ( if I may be so presumsuous) .

    Good, good tip Andy ...
    " * remember, big wide scenics are wonderful - but you can also effectively zoom in on some subjects, so, throw the rule book out and get creative! think outside the box."
    There are so mant wonderful images to be made if we just get out of our boxes and re-define for ourselves what makes a good image and what's preferable or acceptable in terms of weather. I love foul weather not only for the challenge but also for some of the unique character that it lends to our images.

    Here's a few that are already sitting on the server. Some of these have been kicking around thie forum in other posts for a while ...

    ... in the rain,
    Dscf1465.jpg

    ... shot with Glennie's 2MP Olympus P&S ...
    Olympus_cedar.jpg

    ... windy? raining? overcast? ...
    Slow_sync_in_rain.jpg

    ...no problem!
    slow_sync_maple.jpg

    Latter guys ... I hope before we get moved.

    Bob
    See with your Heart
  • Bob&GlennieBob&Glennie Registered Users Posts: 320 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2005
    Harryb wrote:
    Just what I need living in Florida, a tutorial on shooting fall colors. These are our fall colors

    40837877-L.jpg

    I just can't wait for the tutorial on how to shoot in the snow. xxbah.gif

    Smart ass rolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gif
    See with your Heart
  • bfjrbfjr Registered Users Posts: 10,980 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2005
    Harryb wrote:
    Just what I need living in Florida, a tutorial on shooting fall colors. These are our fall colors

    40837877-L.jpg

    I just can't wait for the tutorial on how to shoot in the snow. xxbah.gif

    rolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gifrolleyes1.gif

    Still great info there, don't be such a futty dutty rolleyes1.gif :lol4

    besides Snow at Viera would be different !!! :wow
  • jwearjwear Registered Users Posts: 8,005 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2005
    fall colors in los angeles are black and blue :D the book idea is a great idea for all photo folks time of year for birds time of day for good light ect ect thumb.gif now if i can just learn to type ,can not read my own writing eek7.gif
    Jeff W

    “PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”

    http://jwear.smugmug.com/
  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2005
    What I get out of this is that I could use some leaves.

    Those of you who actually did get "fall colors", please feel free to send me leaves that I can put around a scene for effect, such as under the Palm Trees imported from the tropics. And the more natural vegeatation: some kind of low bushes, don't remember the names. Our magnolia trees can be quite nice. I could "hang" some fall leaves on those.

    PM me, and I will provide the address for sending "used" leaves.

    ginger

    YOU all, our marsh grass turns brown. I have posted many photos of said fall color here in the low country. No one seems impressed.
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • Bob&GlennieBob&Glennie Registered Users Posts: 320 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2005
    ginger_55 wrote:
    What I get out of this is that I could use some leaves.

    OK so I guess some of us don't live in those " far away exotic places" where they get fall colors. I read a wonderful article in a British publication entitled "Working the Land" and it was aimed at those of us who sometimes lament that we can't go to the exotic places where we think we could shoot some wonderfull pictures. The author illustrated the article with photos around Kent, England and they were gorgeous!!! There are few places less exotic than Kent, England. The whole point of the article, which I found to be a huge encouragement, was to do great with what you've got. In other words ... "bloom where you're planted".

    I've been to South Carolina and I found it to be a lot like Georgia and I think it's beautiful. Work with what you've got. Think outside your boxes and show us what a beautiful place you live in. thumb.gif
    See with your Heart
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