Photographing Autumn Colours

Capturing the beautiful colours of Autumn can be both satisfying and joyful or disappointing. Sometimes your photos show what you see and sometimes they don't. It all depends on the light! (and sometimes your settings too).

When the sun is out or it is a bright,  lightly clouded  day - your colours will show bright and true. But if the day is cloudy and dull, you may see the bright colours, but the camera will see something else.

Sunny Days - The best time for photos is early morning or late afternoon when the sun is low and makes everything look attractive. At mid day the sun creates the wrong sorts of shadows and you can get dappled light which makes it hard to see detail easily.Try taking photos with the light shining through the leaves for a different effect. Slightly underexpose for a richer colour. Use a Daylight white balance (WB).

Cloudy Days - the time of the day is less critical for getting good photographs. The light is even, so you don't have light and dark patches causing distraction. If it is a bright cloudy day, this could bring out some richness in the colours, especially if it has recently rained. Try a Cloudy White Balance to warm up the colours.

Rain can create wonderful opportunities for photos. It brings out the colours of the leaves creates rivulets for leaves to float down or in and more. And if the sun comes out afterwards, you will have some wonderful opportunities for some spectacular images. Watch for sparkles on droplets too.

Heavy Clouds, Dull Day - It may be better to photograph for a bleak look, especially if it is windy. If it is windy, try getting leaves blowing or trees leaning with the leaves blowing off it. If you want to brighten up the colours you could experiment with a shade WB or even in Picture Styles, they may have an Autumn Leaves setting. If you do want the bleak look - put your WB on Daylight for a blueish appearance or even try Black & White.