P#17 Q2: What is the Best Way to Bring Out the Fall Colors in My Landscape Photographs?

Light and Composition

Bill Neill: The first thing I want to talk about is light, because, really, light and composition are related. If an image is in bad light, the composition looks busy.

For me, the best lighting for fall colors is usually overcast or, perhaps even better, a rainy day where the leaves are washed clean and fresh, and the colors more saturated. Again, it's related back to not accepting ordinary light. It's about looking for exceptional light.

Another great lighting condition for fall colors is backlight. Look for situations where it might be an area of shadow, say trees against a cliff where the cliff is in shadows and the trees are brightly lit. That can be very dramatic.

One thing about even lighting is that it tends to simplify the view and you see more detail of the leaves and trees, tree trunks. It has more impact that way.

In terms of composition, I tend to shoot tightly, as I mentioned before. My favorite lens is my 70-200mm which is surprising to some people in terms of landscape photography. It's a matter of compressing lines and shapes. I look for trees that have interesting shapes.

Not all trees are created equal. I love all of nature, but not all of nature is a photograph. Be selective. You have to watch the spaces between trees, you have to watch the pattern of fall colors within the frame. Those things will help.

Audri Lanford: I want to come back to something that you said, which is that your favorite time to shoot the fall is on rainy days, particularly because of the light. In terms of the light and in terms of shooting on a rainy day, how do you protect your camera and the lens when you're shooting in the rain?

Bill Neill: I have been fortunate to be able to use cameras that are pretty well sealed so I usually don't have to protect my gear. I usually don't photograph in downpours. I might be out in the mist. My lens and cameras will get wet. I might have a cloth or a towel to keep them dry.

If you have a camera that is not very well sealed, and a lot of them aren't (usually the top professional cameras are really tightly sealed and you don't have to worry as much), use a plastic bag or an umbrella -- some obvious things to try to keep things from getting soaked.

You can also keep a dry cloth nearby to keep the filter dry that's getting wet, or a lens shade to protect the front lens from getting a lot of spots on it.

To Conclude

We've heard of singing in the rain, but shooting photographs too? According to Bill Neill, it's one of the best ways to bring out the bright fall colors in your landscape photography.