I must be honest… Already since last year autumn is growing on me. And I should say… Regarding photography it maybe has become my favourite season ever… Whoops! What happened with the girl that was in love with summer and was counting off the days from the moment that summer ended? Well… I got to see the beauty of nature, the leaves get amazing colours, I started to appreciate the beauty of the changes of seasons. I still love summer though! Of course I am now also living in a region where autumn creates amazing landscapes, which made my love for autumn grow enormously.

The best photos are taken on moody days. My father always said to me in Dutch ‘Klere weer is kleuren weer’. Which means that moody days bring out the best colours, as the clouds work as a natural soft box and shadows are not there. That makes the colours pop out. And I must say, if I go out for autumn photography I often try to do it when it is misty or grey weather.

My 4 top tips:

1. Think about the external factors

Weather is one of the external factors. Fog can be amazing, but so also grey and moody weather which makes the colours pop out. Try to avoid direct sunshine as it will create hard shadows and it will make the colours pop out less.

2. The golden hour

If it is not grey, try to photograph during the golden hour as it enhances the orange colours of the trees. This can be early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

3. Composition is key

Of course this is one of the basic rules which counts for every type of photography. You can have a photo with amazing colours but does it really stand out if the composition is not on point? Probably not. I mostly do it on feeling and by trial and error. I see something that I like, I try it and it ends up in the bin or in the favourite list in Lightroom.

But one of the things that you could use is a foreground, which creates depth in your photo. And next to that also the rule of thirds. Which actually means that an off-centered composition is better. You will use the lines on your screen to place your subject on 1/3rd. Which basically means that your screen is divided by 3 lines, and your subject is in the first or the last part, but never in the center.

4. Use your imagination!

Try out what comes in your mind! You will learn from trial and error. Maybe the idea that you have in your head will end up stunning! You never know!

Love, Lisa