Better Fall Photography
Tips for taking and editing your photographs
The fall is here. Leaves are turning shades of red and gold, the sun isn’t so bright anymore, and the literal “harvest” for photographers has arrived.
Before you head out with your camera seeking picturesque corners, take a look at our ambassadors’ tips and allow them to inspire you with their fall creations.
Tomáš Madaj
“The autumnal atmosphere is all around.”
For this setting by the river, after making basic edits to the exposure, I used the Polarization tool which highlights the sky and smooths the water’s surface. I also used local coloring edits for highlighting the autumnal atmosphere and colors of the countryside. Finally, I chose to edit using the Luma curve, which allowed me to balance the lightness without affecting color.
Tip: The best time for taking photos is in the morning and evening, when the scenery isn’t so flat and gives off beautiful shadows.
Edit with the click of a mouse
Try to evoke the fall atmosphere with the help of presets. We recommend trying Vivid or Cold Orange, which you’ll find in the Color presets.
Klára Mariňáková
“Experiment with colors.”
I first edited this picture of the salamander in the Editor module. Using the Elliptical selection and Invert, I selected the part of the photo I wanted to work with. After opening Adjustments and selecting the Blur tool, I adjusted the strength of the Gaussian blurring. Of course, I saved everything. Then, in the Develop Module, I played around with colors.
Tip: Colors are critical to fall photography so don’t be afraid to see to the proper color saturation and vibrancy.
Zdeňka Vrátná
“It’s all about the vignette.”
When working with human subjects in a photograph, it may be a good idea to use the Filter Brush to separate the parts which could affect natural skin tone during editing. Then you can focus all your attention on highlighting the fall colors. I used Shift Primary Colors and hues in Color Shift. I finished off the edit by fine-tuning the lightness using the Luma curve.
Tip: To get a hint of mystery in your photograph, use vignetting and lots of it.
Put your work on display
In the improved Create Module, creating photo products is a piece of cake.
Daniel Kasal
“Don’t underestimate the importance of proper photo equipment care.”
In the fall, your photography equipment may take a beating. I’m always sure to let my equipment completely dry. When I’m not getting new snapshots, I have the opportunity to revisit and edit photos from the summer. In the Develop Module, I used the Gradient Filter and with the help of Color Shift, I transformed trees of green to those with golden fall leaves.
Tip: If you have the option to take photos using a drone, go for it. You’ll get unique snapshots.
Coloring leaves
Thanks to local edits, you can edit only a selected part of the photo. The remainder of the photograph remains untouched.