camera button friday: how to photograph fall colors

The fall colors are starting to show...lets hope that enough pop at the same time to make it visible and that the winds don't get to excited and scare them all down.

How to shoot fall colors:
All other photographic techniques still apply (composition and exposure) when photographing fall colors, but there are also a couple tips for making the color look good in camera.  It is even more important here to take photos in good light, and to expose correctly for that light; morning are best (evenings are a second best) because the light is coming in at a sharp angle and not making shadows under the leaves that make for very contrasty photos. 

Overcast is great too, but like in all overcast days, don't include the sky.

Backlit leaves look great, but be carefull: a full tree of backlit leaves can sometimes look to dark, so focus on a couple leave at first and then see what more look like in the frame.

Ok, I know I said not to back light an entire tree, and normally it doesn't work, but here it did.  This is not normal for me.

Front lit leaves show the best color, and this is best when you want to show an entire tree or many trees.

Shadow behind leaves makes them pop, if you expose for the highlights and let the shadows go black.