Fall Photography Tips

Are you planning on capturing the fall foliage this year? Fall is my FAVORITE time to take photos. I love all the color; I can’t get enough of it! There are several tricks I have found that produce more colorful, vibrant images without editing them. The pictures in this post have not been edited. You can get GORGEOUS images with these three simple tips.

The camera I used to take these photos was a Canon Rebel T5 paired with a Canon 50 mm prime lens.

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Use a Polarized Filter

If you want a more “true to color” image of the fall foliage, I highly recommend buying a polarized filter. You can buy one here. Make sure you buy the correct size for your particular lens. Here is an example of the difference a polarized filter can make:

This photo was taken WITHOUT a polarized filter:

photo of berry bush without polarized filter

Here is a photo taken WITH a polarized filter:

photo of berry bush with polarized filter

Can you see the difference? Sometimes when we take photos, we feel the picture just doesn’t justify what the actual scenery looks like. Using a polarized filter can help the photo appear more similar to the actual landscape. It also works great for portraits. My husband and I used this filter for our family pictures and it worked great!

2. Change your White Balance

I was amazed at the difference this makes. The White Balance settings on your camera may be indicated by “WB”. This translates into the “temperature” of your photos. When you are outside, it makes a HUGE difference to change your white balance to the sun icon. It looks like this:

If you leave your white balance on “Auto” your photos will come out drastically different. Are you ready for this comparison?

Photo taken on AUTO White Balance:

picture of fall leaves with auto white balance

Photo taken AFTER changing White Balance:

picture of fall leaves with correct white balance

The difference is amazing! The TRUE colors and temperature show when you select the correct White Balance.

3. Shoot on an overcast day, and/or during the “Golden Hour”

This is especially important for portraits. There are two “golden hours” in one day. One in the morning and one in the evening. I use a “Golden Hour” app to know exactly when they will be. During an overcast day, anytime of day can present great light for pictures. Here are is one of our family pictures taken during the golden hour.