Photography of fall foliage
Original article:
Fall Foliage Photography Trip
Even though I've been trying to hold on to summer (haven't officially let go); I must remember, as the weather turns cooler it's a good time to think about planning that fall trip. Every year, during this time nature puts on a display of color. From bright yellows of the sun to vibrantly hot reds to every shade in between - I'm talking about, of course, the autumn leaves. In certain regions as the weather turns cooler, the days become shorter certain species of tress go through a miraculous chemical reaction. The shorter days and cooler temperatures signal the trees to shut down production and prepare for the coming winter. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves and allows the other brilliant colors to shine through.
The fall foliage season begins in early September in the north and ends in regions to the south in late October. People of all walks are now getting the urge of a drive down a curvy tree lined mountain road, or hiking along a babbling creek shaded in autumn leaves, or capture the scene with a photograph that won't ever do nature justice.
In the days of film (goodness I sound old), scenic natural colors were captured using Velvia 50 - a characteristically highly saturated - film with a slow ISO. The resulting slower shutter speeds allowed the film to soak up and saturate the reds, orange, yellows and greens of nature. Often a photographer would use a warming filter to further bring out the reds and yellows of fall foliage.
With digital photography things can be similar and different to film. Today's digital cameras have selectable ISO settings; so dial the ISO down for longer exposure times and higher saturation. Saturation levels can also be custom set and if you are familiar with these settings have at it. If not you can wait to adjust saturation levels in the post process. But remember auto color adjustments will seek to balance evenly across all color channels. Instead you'll want to enhance those warmer colors channels - red, orange and yellow. One further area new to the digital age is white balance; the auto setting may get confused by the brightly saturated colors of fall foliage - I recommend experimenting with some of the other "natural" settings (daylight) or doing simple custom white balance.
I'll post more as I continue to do my own experimentation and encourage anyone to share their results.
What photographer worth 2 cents doesn't want to have one of those fall foliage shots in his portfolio? Unless you are lucky enough to live in an area with scenic beauty and trees that shed there leafs in the coming winter, you will have to plan and coordinate a trip to time with the unpredictable changing of the colors. The US Department of Agriculture Forest Service site post information regarding California fall foliage.
'The Foliage Network was developed to provide accurate foliage information for various locations across the United States. During the months of September, October, and November, The Foliage Network collects data from our foliage spotters twice a week.'