There’s nothing quite like the changing colours of autumn leaves to inspire beginning and seasoned photographers alike. Photographing fall colours provides an opportunity to use a wide variety of techniques both in the field and in your image editor.

Field work

Close-ups: that maple tree with its brilliant red leaves is sure to make an engaging photo, but consider alternatives to photographing the whole tree. Individual leaves normally don’t hold too much interest unless you are a botanist or graphic artist, but leaves that have changed colours make great general subjects either individually or in small groups. The function of a close up is to isolate an object or detail, so keep your eyes open for potential close up treatments. When most of the leaves have fallen, you might take an interesting shot of that single brave one still clinging to the branch, or one that’s blown onto a boardwalk. Even leaf fragments can make interesting studies in geometry.

Selective focus: another method to isolate a subject is to use selective focus. By using a long telephoto setting and/or a large aperture, you can control the parts of your composition that are in sharp focus. Your main subject -- say a cluster of red leaves -- will be in sharp focus while the out of focus background -- maybe a grove of trees that is still essentially green -- will accentuate your subject.

Backlight: if you’ve ever walked beneath a canopy of trees you may have noticed how much more saturated and brilliant the colours are when they are backlit by the sun. Capturing that with your camera is a sure way to get your colours to pop. It will also give the leaves a translucent quality and help reveal details of their intricate structure.

Figure-ground: plants are so common that they often become invisible parts of our surroundings. When the leaves turn colour however, you can’t help but notice. You should be ready with your camera when you encounter those little surprises.

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