October 15, 2013
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Fall… Nature’s firework display
A great reflection.
When I was a little girl, I remember my parents telling me how beautiful the fall foliage was. Sure, I had eyes of my own to view it, but I never really saw it. Even in my teenage years, fall was a time for school, sports, new clothes and connecting with friends. What did I care about colored leaves?
I am a hard core spring girl. Even now, the change in leaf color means that summer is definitely over, the fun barbeques are a memory. It’s now time to dig in for a few busy months before Christmas. However, as I have grown older, my vision of fall has changed dramatically since my rebel years as a teenager. Now, I appreciate nature’s way of the last hurrah. At the first cold snap, my studio line is buzzing with session inquiries regarding portraits outside. So, I thought I would jot down a few fall photographing tips to help you get the most bang out of the leaf show!
1. The best time is early morning or right before sunset. Watch for the sun peeking through tree leaves.
2. Look for ponds. A great time to get a reflection off of the trees onto the water. Shoot at a higher shutter speed to get the reflection.
3. Look for a very high point and shoot over a ridge. Early morning is perfect because usually the night dew is just starting to lift and the colors peep through.
4. Don’t be afraid to shoot up! The fall sky is just amazing and usually full of color. Also, where trees come together and a ray of light peeks through is great. This is a good time to put on your lens shade if you have one.
5. If you have a tripod, head over to a fast moving stream. Set your shutter speed to 30th of a second or below. Experiment with bracketing. The movement of the water will be blurry and the leaves around it will pop. Usually setting the camera on shutter priority will help. You may need a shutter release cord to help you with the possible camera shake.
6. Think about using a few of these images in photo cards. You can purchase the card stock from your local craft store. Just measure the inside of the opening and based on that, have either a 3 ½ x 5 or 4 x 6 made. You may need to trim. They make great cheer up cards, thank you cards and even thinking of you cards!
7. Put a few images together in a collage and mat them in a white mat. Place in an area of your home that won’t get lost (i.e. the formal dining room used once a year.) I guarantee the next time you have folks over, they will admire these prints.
8. A slightly windy day is also fun. Find a tree that has plenty of color. Wait for the wind to blow and photograph the leaves falling off the tree. Obviously, your shutter speed should be 500 or above.
The height of the fall colors does not last that long, so your window of getting great color may only be 2-3 weeks. I love using all my photographs for screen savers during the winter months. Right around February, when there is not a single shade of color but grey outside, I scroll back to my library and revisit my entire collection of fall and spring photographs. It is soul food for the mind. It also gets me over the hump of dark dreary winter days. The key here my friends, is you have to make a point to get out and do this. As a rule, great photographs just don’t happen. Make a memory.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at my studio email. Lerephoto@gmail.com or for follow my studio on Facebook @ Donna Lere Photographer. Twitter is available for those who need daily gratification! @donnalerephoto www.lerephoto.com 457 Woodbourne Road, Langhorne, PA 19047
