Autumn officially arrives in my neck of the woods bright and early Friday morning (around 4 a.m. CST, according our local meteorologist), though we’ve been dressing for the season for the last two weeks. Our high temperatures for the day have barely gotten out of the 50s and the leaves are already changing.
The countdown to peak leaf peeping season is on, and for avid photographers that means reviewing the rules for outdoor shooting. If you are planning to document the stunning fall foliage consider these simple tips when you are out and about:
Perfect Position: Never let the sun hit your camera lens while you are shooting up at falling leaves. Doing so will cause a flare or “hot spot” on your shot. Instead, try to position yourself so the sun casts a “halo effect” on your shot. Just be careful that the sun doesn’t hit your lens at the wrong angle, as that can cause a huge blob to form on the photo. To avoid this from happening, cup your hand and shield the lens. Just make sure your hand doesn’t make its way into your shot.
Sun Sense: If you are planning to include your kids or other family members in your fall foliage shots, then snap them in the morning or evening when the sun is not directly overhead. This will eliminate squinting eyes and complaints from antsy subjects.
Look for Shade: If you have no choice but to shoot at high noon try to place your subject in the shade. Then, try to situate yourself so that the sun bounces off objects in front of your subject to fill in the shadows. Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to have your subject stand with half of his body in the sun and the other half in the shade. It’s important to keep your subject completely in the shade. If you split the light, your camera won’t know how to read the image and you will be left with a picture that is over exposed in some parts and underexposed in others.
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