Capturing autumn colours
One of the best time to capture the colours of nature is during autumn, Salliza Salleh has some tips
FOR those who love to capture bold, moody and vibrant colours, experiencing autumn is a must. It is a short season, a transition period from summer to winter. A season where the trees get ready for the cold winter. This is the time when the air feels colder and smells earthy, while the leaves start to change colour from green to various autumn hues.
Set your travel date and location according to the peak autumn season. Different areas would have a different peak season. Plan ahead for great ideas on how to fully capture the essence of the season and to avoid capturing hundreds of just blend in tourist photos.
Here are some tips on how to capture the vibrant colours of autumn foliage.
Capture the foliage colours during golden hours during both early in the morning and half an hour before sunset. Experience the real definition of the golden moment by observing the bright yellow leaves of gingko trees during the golden hour. I was at Dunhuang, Gansu province, Western China, when I captured this giant 1,000 years old gingko tree during peak autumn.
Capture people and life during this vibrant season. Include a trail, a path or a road onto your frame to help direct viewers to explore your image. I stood almost an hour under this big gingko tree at Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo, observing the right moment to create my storyline for this image. I was hoping for an interesting life subject passing through the shrine gate.
Look out for water puddles and capture reflections with images of autumn in it. Experience and play around with different perspective. While walking along the countryside in South Korea, at one of the streets, I stumbled upon a big puddle that has a reflection of a gingko tree in it and a couple with matching shoes were in my frame at that time.
A moody coloured background with falling leaves randomly scattered, with a dreamy blurred water in your frame could create a good storyline. Using a tripod, I placed my camera very low on the ground. I used a long exposure and my remote trigger to take the shots. This is the right time to experiment with your big stopper ND filter (10-stop) and small stopper ND filter (6-stop).
High contrast and vibrant colours on intense light make a good background for your chosen subject. Pick a subject, go for details, choose larger apertures (lower f-stops)and create dramatic bokeh. The fiery red maple tree is always my favourite. I took this random red maple leaves in Seoul, South Korea, using my 70-200mm lens at f/5. The earthy colour tones and shapes at the back of the subject created a sense of drama to this photo.