Fall is here! As the leaves change, it’s a perfect time to get outside and enjoy all the beautiful colors the season has to offer!
One great way to take in the splendor of the season is to observe how the leaves change throughout it. This allows you to really learn about an area in detail such as which trees and shrubs produce the best color, how weather conditions or microhabitats may impact fall color, and how long it takes different species to change color and drop their leaves.
Best of all, monitoring the color change across the landscape as the season progresses helps you to look deeper into the natural world around you and truly appreciate all that is occurring.
This tracking is best done with a camera. That way you can review your pictures and see how things changed rather than trying to recall them through memory.
Keep reading to discover steps to photographically observe how the seasonal changes occur in your area.
Click on the images to scroll through the series.
Selecting Photo Locations
To track changes over the season you will need to select a few areas to monitor. You will photograph these sites a few times throughout the Fall. When choosing these areas think about:
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The time of year you will photograph
You should focus your photographing session on two to three weeks before colors start to change in your area when the vegetation is still pretty green, and continue photographing until peak color is reached. You can even continue to photograph as leaves begin to drop from the trees in late Fall. The most noticeable changes will be from the time the trees change from green into their full colors, but timing of how long you want to keep photographing is up to your personal preference.
You can use tools like the Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Prediction Map, as well as your past experiences with when Fall colors begin to show up in your area, to determine when color will be best in your geographic region.
There may even be color predictors that are specific to your state. For example, I used the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fall Color Finder to help me predict and monitor my areas’ colors. Simply do an internet search for “fall color tracking” and your state to see what may be available.
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The time of day you will photograph
Consider when the lighting will be best at the sites you intend to photograph. A good place to start are the golden hours around sunrise and sunset. To get the best idea of how the light looks at your sites visit them during different times of the day as the shadows and lighting will change and they may impact the image you are trying to create. Alternatively, you can use tools like the Photographer’s Ephemeris to predict where the sun’s light will hit.
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If there will be good color there
Fall colors are never guaranteed as they depend on many factors, especially the weather, but there are some things that can increase your chances of capturing great colors.
If you have experienced Fall in the areas you are photographing, think back to previous years and where there was good color. Target a few of those sites for your photography locations.
Additionally, select sites that have a wide variety of tree and shrub species, and get as many different species in your shot as possible. Different species change to different colors due to the chemicals in their leaves, and if you are unfamiliar with the vegetation in the area, it’s best to photograph many species and see which ones actually produce the best color.
Lastly, you can research which tree and shrub species produce the best color in the area you want to photograph. From my past experiences at my photo sites I know that oak, maple, sumac, and Virginia Creeper typically change to vibrant fall colors, so I focused on photographing them. However, these species may be different where you are. Conduct an internet search on “best species for fall color” in your area to determine some species you could focus on.
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What type of shots will be best
Weather is a big factor in creating stunning fall landscape photography. A sunny day with a blue sky will allow you to take Fall photos with brilliant color, whereas overcast days will create muted-color photos. Don’t put all your hopes on having great, well-lit skies everyday only to have overcast days ruin your Fall photo project. Instead, select both landscape areas, as well as close-up shots. The landscape photos will be great on sunny days with good color, and the close up shots can be interesting even in drab weather as you won’t have the sky in the background anyway.
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How many areas you will photograph
When taking photos over a period of time, it’s important to remember that things in that area can change. For example, the leaves you were photographing could fall off the tree, the area you selected may not turn out to be as colorful as you wanted, or the weather could impact the shots you intended to get. Therefore, it’s best to select multiple photo locations to increase your chances of ending up with a couple of great photos showing the change in an area across the season.
I selected nine close-up compositions, and 18 landscape compositions that I photographed throughout the season, and ended up having only two photo series that I liked at the end.
Click on the images to scroll through the series.
Selecting Composition
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Create multiple compositions of the scene
The first time you photograph each site it’s best to create a few compositions of the scene. By creating a few compositions, you can view them on the computer when you get home, then determine which one you like best.
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Select markers in the frame
These photos are meant to show changes in nature over time, so you’ll want the photos of each site to be as similar in composition as possible. To help produce consistent photos, frame each image with something in it that will help you match future images to it. This should be something static such as a tree, a rock, etcetera.
I also find it useful to take a notebook along and jot a note about where I was standing to take the shot, and the height at which I was holding my camera.
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Compose with more than one leaf in the shot
For close-up shots of leaves, make sure you frame the photo with more than one leaf in it and in focus. This will help ensure that when one leaf drops from the tree, you’ll still be able to produce your image to show change over the season.
Producing Similar Compositions
Photos at each site should be as similar in composition as possible to make showing change over the season easier. You’ll need to keep track of the positioning of your shots, so:
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Frame the image with a static item
As mentioned above, frame each image with something in it that will help you match future images to it.
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Use a reference photo
Bring a reference photo from previous images you’ve taken at each site. Before shooting, take time to review the reference photo, then adjust your camera until your new image matches its composition.
I like to have my reference image on my phone. I then hold my phone up next to my camera, and use the live view feature to frame my images to be similar. I found this to be the easiest way for me to match up the compositions.
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Crop images in post processing
Lining things up in the field exactly is tricky. So line your image up as close as possible while shooting, and then zoom out just a little bit. This will allow you to crop in post processing and ensure that you don’t accidentally cut a portion of the image off during shooting.
I used a secondary screen view to help me see and edit two images at once. However, if you have Lightroom 2015.8 or newer there’s an even handier feature called “reference view” that you can use.
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Match the focus
Make sure that you also match the focus point from image to image. This is especially important on close-up leaf shots as you don’t want some of your photos focused on one of the leaves in the frame, and the others focused on a different leaf.
Additional Tips
- Go out a few times each week because sometimes it’s hard to notice when the color is at peak. Take more photos than necessary over the season, then pick your favorites that demonstrate the “largest change” between them.
- Try to shoot in consistent lighting. This will make it easier to compare how the leaves changed color throughout your images.
- Have fun! Don’t get so focused on getting your images that you forget to look around you and enjoy all the other beautiful fall sights.
Contribute to Conservation
At the end of the season, you’ll have a couple of awesome photo series showing seasonal changes in your area, so share them with others! Use your images to show how special nature is, and remind your friends that we need to act responsibly and protect our natural environment so we can continue to enjoy all it has to offer.
How about becoming a citizen scientist and tracking the seasonal changes you’re observing? Since you’ll be so closely observing nature in order to get your photos, you’re in the perfect position to collect some data for scientists! Two organizations are specifically looking for observations about Fall, such as when leaves begin to change color, and when they drop off the trees. Check out my post “Track Fall Changes for Science” for more information about how you can help!
