Capturing the Colors: Photographing the Essence of Autumn

by Caroline Ulbrich

2010-09-28 00:00:00

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of year, as we watch the leaves change to fiery colors and the wind chill brings sweaters out of the closet. This is a great time for photography, where you can capture these bold and vibrant colors to make beautiful art prints.

You see these kinds of photos all the time and creating a different image from everything already done can be challenging. The same exact scene can be photographed hundreds of different ways, you just have to learn to look at it differently and find the “Fall Photo” that suits your tastes. Here are some ideas for creative fall photography:

Classic Landscape
Capturing the classic landscape scene with all the beautiful fall colors may be just the right touch to create a large piece of art for your home. If you have a small lake or pond nearby with colorful trees surrounding it that may be the perfect place to start in your photo adventure. On a calm day when the water is still, set up your tripod and compose your shot to include a good amount of reflection on the water surface. Take a longer exposure to let any ripples pass and then end result will have a smooth glass mirrored reflection of all the colorful leaves.

Another option for a new take on the ‘classic’ landscape is to try different times of day and different weather conditions. See how the light affects the scene at dawn, and then come back at dusk to see how dramatically different it can appear. A little fog can make a big impact for a shot where you capture the reds and yellows peeking through a cloudy patch.

Brilliant Abstract
The variety of colors you see in fall leaves can make a vibrant and beautiful abstract photograph. Returning to the same scene, where trees line the bank of a small lake or even a river in this case, there are some great abstract shots to be made. Focus on the water. Get up close to the edge and zoom in with your camera to select a small area of water. The warm autumn colors will be reflected in the surface of the water and the shapes will be distorted from the ripples and waves. Move over and find a slightly different spot and see how different it can be, you will see blues from the water mixed in with orange and gold. You can create a whole series that fit with each other and when printing them for your wall, make a triptych or diptych out of several shots. These images can also be good candidates for a canvas wall collage, where Canvas Press will take one image and split it into multiple canvases for a unique wall display.

If you don’t have a water scene to work with, try just close-ups of the leaves themselves. A macro-photo of a leaf can show all the veins and tonal changes in that one leaf, or a tight shot of several different colored leaves will make a great textured shot. You can also try some shots where the lens is not in focus, leaving you with a soft blur of warm colors.

Hopefully these ideas have sparked some energy in you to go out and take some amazing fall photos. By printing them on canvas, you evoke the feeling of a painting, and the texture of the cotton weave will enhance the natural texture of the leaves themselves. A gallery wrap will mean you don’t have to worry about a frame and there will be no distraction from the colors you have captured.