As I write this, the start of Columbus Day Weekend 2010 is only a few hours away for those of us who will be sliding down the dinosaur’s back (think-Fred Flintstone) at the end of a Friday afternoon. At that time the sun will be in a perfect location in the sky for gorgeous fall harvest photos, so grab your camera and start snapping-after a few meter adjustments, of course.
October and November are fabulous months for capturing the beautiful light of autumn casting a luminous glow on the farms, vineyards, beaches and foliage that you can easily find on eastern Long Island. The key is to pay attention to the location of the sun in the sky, and pick your scenes carefully. Digital cameras tend to over expose the reds and yellows of this time of year, so adjust your exposure compensation by a third of a stop to underexpose it is bit. Then, if you are using a DSLR, get a polarizing filter and use it. The foliage colors will really pop against a beautiful blue sky!
But, watch for harsh shadows from the midday sun. If you are pumpkin picking, watch out for bright shiny spots from the strong sun on the pumpkin. Shiny in person will be a glare in the photo. Same with the grape clusters at the vineyards.
When I go out this weekend, I will look for opportunities to use the sun as a backlight and then a fill flash to light the subject. I’ll try a few other techniques too, depending on the time of day that I actually make it outside with my camera. But I assure you, I will use the fabulous weather forecasted to practice my techniques so I am ready for the unexpected Kodak moment whenever it happens. I hope you will too!
If you have any favorite autumn or fall foliage photo tips to share, post them in the comments below. We would love to know about them!
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