Blog Post #5: Five Favorite Fall Color Tips

While fall really hasn't settled into Billings, Montana, yet, photographer Russ Burden shared five fall-related photography tips in Outdoor Photographer's Photo Tip of the Week. Looking through his example photos and comparing them to the current landscape around us, it may be a while before any of these tips can be tested out by me or any other photographer in the area.

Burns animated descriptions of capturing the reds, yellows, and oranges of landscape in the fall demonstrates he's very passionate about his work, so it's same to say he has a genuine interest in sharing these tips to help capture, as Burns describes, "nature's arboreal fireworks."

Tip #1: Capture that Reflection

Burns suggested getting to a site early in the morning before the sun comes up as the light at dawn may help produce dramatic photos. Some things he mentioned that matched up perfectly with class discussion was including the reflection in your composition, use a graduated neutral-density filter to help darken the "real" part, and use the calm water as in the early mornings, there is less wind.

Tip #2: Details

Burns presents the challenge of using a macro lens for an entire session in order to pick out details one wouldn't necessarily try to capture. This way, one would basically have to force themselves to look beyond what is right in front of them. Some suggestions he gives are to "look for small pockets of still water and capture the reflection on the surface" or to "find a lone leaf dangling from its stem (as it awaits its) descent."

Tip #3: Use a Polarizer

Burns suggests using a polarizer during a fall session to help bring out colors and to remove potential distractions from your photo. By using a polarizer (correctly, that is), it will help allow more saturated color to come through He walks through where to stand and what to include the photo to make sure you a produce a winner. Having a blue sky and some yellow foliage isn't going to automatically make it a great photo. It takes some work to set yourself and your camera up to capture an attractive image.

Tip #4: Sweet Light

Burns said "regardless of the subject matter you shoot, the time of day at which it's photographed is critical ... choosing the right time of day to make your photos determine their success. Burns goes on to suggest taking fall photos at sunrise or sunset as it will provide a rich warm tone that's low on the horizon and "rakes your subject with magnificent sidelight," if that's what you want. Even if you have a hard time getting up early in the morning to take those shots, the sunrise (or sunset) are worth it as they add a whole other level to your photos.

Tip #5: Colors That Have Contrast

As mentioned briefly in class discussion, referring to a color wheel is a handy way to see which colors will really work well with one another in a photograph. Burns indicates that colors found on the color wheel opposite from one another is something to keep in mind when setting up your composition. Burns believes that "crisp, clear, blue skies integrated with the fall color of yellow" makes life good. Because a lot of fall colors are included in the same color family, it makes sense why a fall scenery set against a blue sky works so well.

Burns, Russ. “Five Favorite Fall Color Tips.” Outdoor Photographer, 2017 Madavor Media, LLC, 18 Sept. 2017, www.outdoorphotographer.com/tips-techniques/photo-tip-of-week/five-favorite-fall-color-tips/.