By Chloe Cochran
Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of one thing — the colors. The warmness of the oranges, browns, reds and yellows makes fall a cozy and happy time of the year. And what better way to capture that warmess than to take pictures of it?
Every year, Southern Virginia University holds a Fall Photography Contest. Current students, alumni, faculty have the opportunity to submit their fall ’22 photos for a chance to win several prizes (click here to see all the details).
With this competition under way, and fall foliage in its prime, I thought it would only be appropriate to give tips on how not to take fall photos. Keep reading for things to avoid when taking fall photos!
- Green and Brown Things
The most notable thing about fall are all of the pretty colors. Don’t take pictures of green trees or bushes, and definitely don’t take pictures of brown trees or bushes. Fall photography is about capturing the changing of leaves between summer and winter and the liveliness of the different colors. Fall photography is not about dead leaves or green trees (while pretty, green is the last color people want to see in the prime of fall).
A cool photo — but doesn’t capture the essence of fall
2. Avoid Mid-Day Photos
When is the sun at its highest point, giving us full sun exposure? Mid-day. However, when the sun is at its highest, that’s possibly one of the worst times to take photos (besides when the sun is completely gone). My best advice for taking any photos (specifically for fall) is to take your photos during “blue hour” or “golden hour.” *Click here for examples and clarifications of golden/blue hour.* During this time, the sun is positioned in a way that won’t cause shadows in your photos (you’re welcome)!
Like the above picture, shadows occur during mid-day. While sometimes they’re used creatively, you also run the risk of creating shadows in your photos (not the best if it was unintentional).
3. Be Careful of What You Capture
We can’t talk about fall photography without mentioning Halloween photos. Pumpkins are one of the most photographed things throughout fall, but oftentimes they’re captured horribly. When you’re looking to take pictures of pumpkins, make sure they’re not rotting. Similar to dead leaves, a decaying pumpkin is not attractive (it’s just not). Also, be aware of your surroundings!
4. Don’t Expose Too Much
Again, fall is full of amazing photos! And, now that you know not to capture dead things or take pictures during mid-day, you’re basically a pro. After you’ve taken your photos, you may notice that the colors on your photos don’t pop as much as you would like. Be careful when editing your photos and don’t over-edit! *See photos for reference*
Only Take Fall Photos If You Know These 4 Tips was originally published in The Herald on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
