Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tips for taking photographs of autumn leaf colors (aka fall foliage)


Colors, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Drops, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Autumn colors, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Here are my tips for autumn leaf colors (aka fall foliage): don't obey any tips. Case in point, this article. There is nothing wrong with it, and at the same time, all is wrong with it.

I got an overdose from looking at the photographs there. What if the leaf colors don't look like that at all? Why should we create a world of oversaturated colors when in reality it is not so?

Here are some photographs which I feel demonstrate a feeling of autumn leaf color here in Finland, not in some land far far away. The last one especially.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Juha, that widespread success of overly saturated, all too vivid images of whatever you can think of is maybe analogous to the preferences for too sweet/salty, all uniform food.
I guess it's just so simple to consume - you don't have to take your time, explore, think, conclude, instead you just react to triggers: red, sweet, hot, pink.
You can only avoid following these bland recipes on the top of the pyramid (a 5-star cook, a famous artist) or - if you simply don't give a damn what somebody might say and do follow your path.
(I guess this is what you do anyway.)

ssp said...

Couldn't agree more. Strong colours are just too easy.

Nice shot of the cyclist, btw. I think it captures an autumn feeling rather well.

Juha Haataja said...

It is hard to be able to see the little things - and one tends to get stuck in routines. Fortunately we have the "real" seasons here in Finland - you have time to forget what autumn looks like when you meet it again...

Tiffany said...

Hello, I'm sorry that you found my article less than helpful, but it's all about our personal joy in photography, is it not? I, too, very much appreciate the photo of the cyclist, very nicely captured and well done!

Juha Haataja said...

@Tiffany: I guess I'm looking something beyond the "pretty picture". Also I have developed a kind of aversion to bright saturated colors. It may be that when the winter darkness really hits I'll feeld different about this...