Autumn Photography Guide

Transcription

1 Autumn Photography Guide

2 Now it's over, I'll be honest. I don't really like Summer. To catch a sunrise you have to get up before you've gone to bed; everything is green, green, green and the light... don't get me started on the light! However, as September arrives many photographers begin to stir from their bear like hibernation. They can detect subtle changes in morning temperatures and their hair growth slows as the days begin to shorten. Yes, the photographers paradise is almost upon us - autumn is coming. Lakeland Autumn, Ullswater When is autumn? Well, as far as photographing it is concerned - it depends. If you live 'up-north' you'll experience the changing colours sooner than 'down-south'. If August and early September are unseasonably cold then the onset of autumn can appear sooner than in a 'normal' year and vice-versa. Suffice to say that by the time we get to the end of September you need to have thought about some good locations and be keeping your eyes peeled for those changing colours. Blink and you'll miss it - once we're through the first week of November, the fireworks are over. Where should you go? Ok, it's clichéd but who can resist woodlands in the autumn? With a palette of reds, browns, yellows and green the range of colours on offer are fantastic. Tree lined paths scattered with fallen leaves offer 'leading lines' and interesting lighting potential. If you get there when the mist is around you could get shots oozing with atmosphere.

3 Woodland - colours galore! Experiment with your positioning - you can get some great shots with leaves backlit (the sun on the other side of the leaves to you). If you're lucky, rays of light coming through the trees make epic photography material. Try positioning yourself so that sun is obscured by a tree trunk to make the most of this effect. Careful positioning of sun

4 Backlighting Calm autumn conditions at dawn

5 Other great locations are lakes, tarns and streams. They retain more heat than the surrounding areas meaning that when the water evaporates into the colder air above it, you'll often get mist. A bit like steam rising from a hot bath in a cold bathroom (like in my house!) Combined with calm conditions you can get mirror like reflections, adding even more magic to the scene. Mist adds atmosphere Being based in the Lake District, I love to head to the hills at this time of year - the flat lighting and haze of summer are consigned to history as the contours of the landscape are chiselled out with low raking light. Add to this the variety of colours on the fellside as bracken turns russet and it's a jackpot for landscape photographers. The next image was taken from the southern edge of Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District. I was in position before first light. Down at the roadside, the scene was completely covered in fog and it can be hard to imagine exactly what's going on above you. The key thing in conditions like this is knowing where the fog/mist stops and the view starts. It's worth heading up small hills or even driving up high road passes to get a view of what's happening. The better you know an area, the more chance that you'll identify where to go when conditions are like this.

6 Fog below, glorious above

7 What time of day should you get out? The sun's track through the sky is lower in autumn than summer. This means 'good light' is available for longer periods throughout the day. That said, 'golden hours' still offer the best conditions, particularly the morning when cold air sits in low lying areas bringing mist/fog. As much as it pains me to do it (I'm a night person, not a morning person) in autumn I make a herculean effort to get out of bed early. I like to be in place an hour before sunrise (you might even get some nice night/twilight shots). Look out in the weather forecast for high pressure and colder temperatures. When this happens there's the chance to capture the play between mist, trees, rising sun...perfect! These conditions may last an hour or two before the rising temperatures see the mist off for the rest of the day. Light + mist + trees =

8 Autumn mist blanketing Ambleside What kit should you take? Take out what you normally use and are comfortable with. It's more important to use your imagination at this time of year than spend time rifling through a bag full of kit you haven't used before (save that for summer!) That said, I like to take out my old 50mm prime lens at this time of year (well, actually I like taking that out all year but humour me) - the shallow depth of field it offers is great for close ups of leaves, mushrooms etc. At the same time, with the aperture stopped down, I can get a nice starburst effect from points of light such as sunlight reflections on water or the sun peeping between trees. If you use a camera with a 'crop sensor' then a 35mm prime will do a similar job. I would strongly recommend a polarising filter which can be used to increase the saturation of colours and improve contrast. Those colours (which are often 'the' subject during autumn) will really pop and add emphasis to the image. A tripod is a must for me and the way that I like to shoot images so it always comes with me. However, it can slow you down and lighting / atmospheric conditions can change quickly in autumn so reaction speed is important. If you don't like using a tripod then that's fine too.

9 What should I photograph? Well, it depends on what you like to photograph but colours and light are the key things at this time of year. If conditions are right, go for the classic wide angle mist filled landscape. Why not eh? Don't forget detailed shots That said, don't neglect the smaller things. Work your location to ensure you've made the most of what's on offer to you. That can mean isolating parts of a scene with a longer focal length (85mm on a full frame camera for example) or physically getting closer in and looking for subjects that are about details and textures.

10 I admit, yes I did! By all means, go and visit the classic locations - they'll be great at this time of year. However, I'd urge you to find your own thing when you get there, otherwise you'll end up with shots that look like everyone else's shots and why would you want that?! For example, here's three shots from an autumn trip to Blea Tarn in the Langdales. Those 'three stones' and 'that fence' aren't to be seen anywhere :-) No stones or fence here... here...

11 or here! What if the weather is pants? We're as likely to get stormy, unsettled weather towards the end of autumn as we are calm days (ok, actually more likely). If the forecast is for persistent rain throughout the day I tend to stay at home and drink lots of tea. Hands up, I can't find my photography 'mojo' in conditions like that. However, if it's forecast for blustery showers then that's a different thing altogether - that's game on. My favourite time to take photographs is during transition periods - whether that be transition between seasons, night and day or wet and dry. A blustery autumn day can provide dramatic lighting conditions between downpours. My advice would be to tuck yourself under a sturdy umbrella or better still, a bothy shelter bag but have your camera primed and ready to go. As soon as it looks like the rain is easing you'll have to react quickly as you can't be sure where that shaft of light or glorious rainbow is going to appear.

12 Showery weather is perfect for photos!

13 If it's windy, get your camera set up on a steady tripod and hone in on the movement of a trees branches and leaves. These can make for some really interesting shots. Capturing tree movement in the wind Conclusion Whatever you do, make sure you're ready to make the most of any favourable conditions because before you know it...the leaves are gone and we're heading into winter! (c) Rod Ireland Photography