7 tips for the best landscape photography this autumn

Tips for autumn photography / Photo: Julius Drost
Tips for autumn photography / Photo: Julius Drost

The autumn is unique for those who love photography that seek to highlight the colours of nature. Leaves, trees, forests offer spectacular landscapes with beautiful colours. However, having a good camera and a unique landscape does not guarantee perfect pictures. It is necessary to follow a few steps to take the best pictures at the right moment. Follow the tips below, and success is guaranteed. You will no longer have any excuse to take the best photos. on your excursion to the autumn of Irati Forest o Ordesaunique places that are worth a visit in autumn if you are fond of photography. 

Plan your excursion.

Autumn photography: plan your outing / Adrian
Autumn photography: plan your outing / Adrian

Autumn lasts three months, but not in all its glory. Due to rain, wind and snow, many of the trees quickly lose their leaves. It is therefore necessary to be attentive in order to plan your outing as well as possible. First choose the place or landscape you want to photograph and then plan your trip.. Today, technological advances have made it much easier to choose the best day to go out. Many lodges and national parks offer live webcam images of the landscape on the internet. Otherwise, it is highly recommended to keep an eye on what is posted on social media. Search for the most recent images, and you will know how the terrain is.. So start following amateur photographers who hang out close to where you want to go.

READ ALSO: Photography for beginners: A complete guide for your travels and outdoor trips". 

Choose the most appropriate target.

Autumn photography: choose the right lens / Photo: Aj Gallagher
Autumn photography: choose the right lens / Photo: Aj Gallagher

When photographing landscapes, it is common to see cameras that make use of lenses wide-angle which can be of 16-35 mmof 14-24 mm or 18-55 mm. Its use can work as long as you get close to the subject of the photograph such as a tree or a waterfall. Otherwise, all the elements that appear will be small. However, if lenses are used, of 24-70 mm or 70-200 mm, you will be able to isolate the element of your choiceThis way you can bring out the reddish autumn colours even more.

Composition.

Autumn photography: composition / Photo: Val Vesa
Autumn photography: composition / Photo: Val Vesa

Good image composition can be the key to a successful photograph.However, a bad one can ruin it. A good composition of an image can guiding people through photography. For example, the Patterns such as roads, streams or mountain ranges are some elements that guide people's eyes, and give more depth to the image.. However, in autumn, a simple composition that highlights the colours of the trees and leaves can also work perfectly.

Use a circular polarising filter.

Autumn photography: use a circular polarising filter / Photo: Kelly Sikkema
Autumn photography: use a circular polarising filter / Photo: Kelly Sikkema

Although this type of filter is often used to enhance the colour of the sky, the circular polarising filter also helps to remove the glare from the leaves to give a deeper, more natural colour.. However, using this filter may cause the leaves to blur as they move in the wind due to a slow shutter speed. Even so, if you make sure that the shutter speed is the right oneIf the negative effect will remain in the background, no one will notice it.

Add green to your photograph.

Autumn photography: add green to your photography / Photo: Alfred Schrock
Autumn photography: add green to your photography / Photo: Alfred Schrock

Although it may not sound like the most common thing to do, adding green to photographs taken in autumn can greatly enrich the image. The contrast between evergreen and deciduous trees, will make the reddish and orange autumn colours shine even brighter. as opposed to dark greens. Finding trees of different colours will certainly enrich the photograph.

What time?

Autumn photography: what time? / Photo: Isabella Christina
Autumn photography: what time? / Photo: Isabella Christina

I'm sure many of you are fond of taking photographs at sunrise or sunset. However, in autumn you want the colours to catch the eye, so the light from the sun is essential. If you are looking for the vibrant colours of the trees, it is advisable to go to photograph the landscape an hour after sunrise, or an hour before sunset.. This is when there is enough natural light without disturbing, to make the most of the colours of the landscape, and to take advantage of all its splendour. If the sun is not shining and clouds abound, you should not stay indoors either. A few flashes of light that make the leaves glow can give a beautiful result. Also, if you are a beginner, on cloudy days the difficulty of taking pictures will decrease as the intense sunlight will not bother you.

Experiment with shutter speed.

Autumn photography: experiment-with-speed-of-observation / Photo: Niklas Hamann
Autumn photography: experiment with shutter speed / Photo: Niklas Hamann

Autumn is a great time to try out and experiment with your camera.. For example, you can try a fast shutter to capture leaves blown away from trees, or leaves swirling under a waterfall. The point is to try, and get the most out of the landscape and the camera. You can also use different shutter speeds, and playing with focus and blurThe images are abstract and unique.