Foliage Features →
Foliage Photo Tips
(page 2 of 2)
PROCESSING
If your prints come back looking grainy or gray, it's most likely the processing, not your camera. Old chemicals result in washed-out prints. Invest in better-quality processing. Ask to see samples before you trust anyone to process your film.
COMPOSITION
Keep it simple. Look for a dominant element, such as one tree in a field or a single branch of leaves against the sky. Alison Shaw suggests that photographers "isolate elements by using a shallow depth of field. This allows one tree or part of a tree to be in focus while everything else is out of focus." The sharp part of the photo is then your dominant subject.
"Change your point of view," advises Kindra. "Get down on your belly and shoot through things, letting objects in the foreground go out of focus. This will give you a nice wash of color in the foreground and lead you into the background that you've kept in focus. Or you can keep the foreground sharp and let the background go soft."
Get up high, too. Kindra says fire towers are great for giving you that big view on a clear day. But she warns it's difficult to get vibrant color in the big overall shots, so make sure you try tighter compositions: a few branches of a tree hanging over a stone wall, for instance, or leaves on a pond.
WHEN TO PHOTOGRAPH
Early morning and late afternoon provide the most interesting light, but don't grumble on an overcast or rainy day. Alison insists that she loves to shoot foliage in these conditions. "Overcast days will show color better than sunny ones," she says.
Kindra's favorite time to shoot is during the 30 minutes before and after sunrise and sunset. But, she adds, "don't put your camera away in the middle of the day. And forget all that advice about keeping the sun behind you when you photograph." She prefers shooting into the sun so her subjects are backlit. If you've ever seen a sugar maple with the sun punching through the leaves, you'll agree. Be sure to protect your lens from sun flares. A lens hood or a piece of cardboard will shade your lens from the sun.
LENSES
"Avoid wide-angle lenses," says Alison. If you want the big, long view, "Buy the postcard." Alison suggests that a photographer "come in closer, focusing on a single tree -- or just part of it."
IF YOU WANT THE VIEW
Well, then do what Kindra does. "Be sure to have something interesting in the foreground to frame the view," she says. This can be a porch railing, a tree, or whatever strikes your fancy. Remember backlighting, when applicable.
MOTION
Alison reminds us that "everything doesn't have to be in focus. If you're near running water, put your camera on a tripod and focus on some bright leaves on a rock just above the water. Set your shutter speed for one second or longer. This will give you a sense of movement in the brook while capturing the still part of the frame as you see it."
On a windy day, use a tripod and focus on a beautiful tree or row of trees. Be sure the trunk is in focus, and expose your film at half a second or slower. The trunks will be sharp, and the moving leaves will create a lovely, fiery look. Experiment with slower and slower shutter speeds.
REFLECTIONS
Early morning is the best time to capture reflections in a lake or pond. The water is more likely to be still, and you may get mist rising off the water.
When asked how she keeps photographing foliage in fresh ways, Kindra says, "It is such a short season every year -- fleeting, really. I don't have time to get bored with it. So at the end of each autumn, I look forward to the next one, when I can go to new places or return to some of the old favorites and try something different."
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