Follow these seven tips to take your fall photography to the next level

Fall is the most wonderful time of the year for photography (especially when it turns into Indian summer). I’m sure most of you would agree with me. Nigel Danson shares the opinion, and he loves shooting in the fall. So, in his latest video, he shares seven useful tips that will inspire you and help you take your fall photography to the next level.

1. Color in composition

When the leaves start changing colors, everything becomes super-colorful. Use this to your advantage and make the color a part of your composition. Rich fall colors give a warm feeling to a photo, and they combine well with complementary colors that are opposite on the color wheel (like orange leaves with blue water).

2. Think about grays/negative space

A lot is going on in fall photos due to all the colors. This is why you may want to create some sort of contrast. Use gray tree trunks and rocks, or just cooler, neutral colors in the negative space to give your photos some balance.

3. Fall isn’t all about trees

Probably the first thing most of us think about when someone mentions fall is the foliage that changes color. But Nigel reminds us that it’s not all about trees. The grass changes as well; the landscapes look different, so look out for these changes, too. It’s amazing how different the same landscape can look in the summer and the fall, even if there are no trees whatsoever.

4. Don’t forget the smaller things

There are so many details in the fall: a fallen leaf, trees that changed color only in parts… Many small things that seem insignificant, but they make the shot. Look around you, look down, and you’re certain to find little things like this.

5. Know how to use the light

It’s important to understand light in general, so it applies to fall photos as well. The change of light can affect the scene a lot, and you’ll especially notice this when shooting woodland scenes. Shooting the same scene in different lighting or weather conditions will end up in photos that differ a lot from each other.

6. Timing is crucial

The lighting changes quickly in the fall, and so do the colors. At this time of year, these things change within days, sometimes even hours. If you see something you like and think, “I’ll shoot it when I come back in a week,” it might not be the same scene anymore.

7. Spend more finding the composition

It seems much easier to take a good photo in the fall: everything looks amazing, and it’s incredibly colorful. But Nigel warns that you can get overwhelmed and carried away with all the colors and scents of the fall, and you might get disappointed when you take your photos into Lightroom. Don’t just think a good view will make a good image. Fall is actually the time of year when you want to pay attention and try a bit harder to find a good composition.

The fall is here, guys. So, grab your camera, keep these tips in mind, and go out and shoot.

[7 SIMPLE tips you SHOULD know for AUTUMN PHOTOGRAPHY | Nigel Danson]