The air has developed a bit of a crispness, and the weather remains warm, and far too dry. The quality of light is different in the fall. It is hard to describe this light. It is direct and strong. As it illuminates colored leaves, the world is aglow in reds, saffrons, golds, and oranges. On beautiful fall days the light almost appears theatrical in nature.
If you live in a part of the country that experiences the shedding of leaves, in preparation for winter, it is a great time to take a walk with your camera. You may decide to go to a local, state or national park in your area. Explore the paths and trails in search of this seasonal color. These magnificent leaves often grow in an area that also has evergreens. If you can contrast the vibrant hues of changing foliage against the dark forest greens, it can be really stunning in your photos.
If the area has water features, try looking for little streams with floating colored leaves. If the body of water is larger, like a pond or lake, can you catch the trees’ reflections in the water? Try dropping a stone in the water for beautiful, colored, concentric ripples.
Don’t forget the close-up image. Come in close on the gnarled contour of a drying leaf. Even the dull colored brown leaves can be beautiful in their shapes and contours. The leaves don’t need to be perfect. In fact a leaf with holes or damage can prove to be more interesting – a leaf with character!
Don’t forget your scanner is a camera ( see blog post on using your scanner as a camera at view link Gather up some colorful leaves and bring them home for a scanning session. Work quickly, as they will loose their color quickly. These scanned leaves can be used in future collaging efforts. If you are a scrapbooker, they can be used in your page layouts this fall.
Get out and enjoy those leaves before they truly are behind us!
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