How to Capture the Best of Autumn

Autumn is one of the most rewarding times of year for photographers thanks to the golden light, misty mornings and textured landscapes that make photos pop. If you haven’t already, now is the time to venture outdoors and capture one of the most photogenic times of year - before the colours begin to fade. With just a few camera tweaks and some compositional tips, you’ll be able to showcase the best of autumn in your photos.

Camera Settings for Autumn Photography

In knowing what camera settings work best for this time of year you should be able to yield better results.

Shooting Mode

To be able to control the depth and the light of your autumnal photos, you should opt to shoot in manual or aperture priority mode. For landscapes where you want to maintain sharpness front to back you should use f/8 to f/11. If it's shallow focus shots you're after you should go for anywhere between f/2.8 and f/4.

You should also, for maximum flexibility, shoot in RAW. This preserves the full dynamic range of your images and will allow you to bring out the depth and richness of autumn’s colours during editing.

Exposure

Due to strong colour contrasts and the unpredictable, varied lighting of autumn, exposure can be tricky to manage.

For balanced results on sunnier days, you should increase your exposure by +0.3 to +1 stop. This will preserve warmth and brightness, allowing you to capture the vibrancy of the scene without losing any texture. The same goes for shooting bright foliage as this can sometimes trick your camera's meter into underexposing.

On overcast days, slightly reduce your exposure. You can then boost the contrast in post-production to add more depth. For example, on misty mornings you should try underexposing your photo slightly by about -0.3 to -0.7 EV. This will preserve the fog’s layers and also prevent highlights from blowing out.

When adjusting your exposure, always check your histogram and aim to retain detail in both the shadows and highlights. Clipping either can reduce the impact of autumnal rich colours.

Shooting in RAW format will allow you to fine-tune your exposure later if you need to.

ISO and Shutter Speed

To preserve colour accuracy, keep the ISO as low as possible - anywhere between 100 to 400 is great.

Adjust the shutter speed based on light conditions. For still, slow scenes around 1/125s is fine; for flowing water or falling leaves go for something closer to 1/15s.

White Balance

Although auto white balance works well and is generally effective, it can sometimes neutralise the warm, golden tones that define autumn. To capture the richness of the season you should instead manually choose and adjust your white balance.

The two recommended presets are cloudy and shade – both of these settings will warm up your photos which will, in turn, enhance the natural golden colours of autumn. The cloudy setting will have a warmer hue to compensate for the cool-toned darkness a cloudy sky creates whilst the shade setting is designed to warm up any image that’s in cool shaded light. It will add a reddish hue perfect for bringing out the colours in your autumnal shots.

Alternatively, if you prefer to work with the Kelvin scale, set the temperature between 5200K and 6500K for daylight conditions. To preserve warmth and depth on cloudier days and during golden hour, increase it to around 7000K.

Setting the white-balance correctly in camera helps you to get a more accurate preview of your final result.

Graduated Neutral Density Filter

If you want to photograph a bright autumn sky over a darker forest, your camera might struggle to capture both correctly. A graduated neutral density (ND) filter can help balance the exposure by darkening the sky while keeping the foreground well lit.

ND filters are especially useful for sunrise and sunset shots, woodlands with dappled light and high-contrast landscapes. All you need to do is place the darker portion of the filter over the sky to prevent blown-out highlights and you will preserve the rich tones of the landscape. This technique works well when the light intensity is considerably inconsistent across the frame.

ND filters also allow for slower shutter speeds in bright conditions perfect for creating motion blur effects. They can also help you achieve soft, dreamy effects that complement the warm light of autumn.

How to Photograph Different Autumn Weather Conditions

Fog, Mist and Cloudy Days

Shooting in the early mornings will often bring mist or fog which softens the light and adds atmosphere. This is perfect for shooting silhouettes of trees or wildlife. For an even dreamier, ethereal feel, shoot during blue hour which is the hour just before sunrise.

For the best results, head to higher ground. From here you can capture mist-filled valleys with stunning depth.

The same principle applies on cloudy days where the overcast skies act a giant softbox, providing a diffused light perfect for capturing the full range of autumn colours without any harsh shadows. You may need to play around with the composition of these photos to include elements in the foreground that add structure and depth.

Rain

Rain can enhance autumn colours, adding reflections and deeper tones - instead of hiding from it, embrace shooting in the rain. To minimise glare from wet leaves or reflective surfaces, use a polarising filter and also make sure your gear is protected with a rain cover.

Wind

On windy days, the falling leaves and rustling branches add dimension and movement. To create motion blur, use a slower shutter speed of around 1/10 to 1/30s. If you want to freeze the movement, use a fast shutter speed of 1/250s+.

Fading Light

As daylight fades, switch to a wide aperture of around f/2.8 and be prepared to raise your ISO to keep your exposure balanced. The goal is to capture detail without losing the soft mood of the season.

Compositional Ideas for Autumn Photography

• Look for contrasting colours such as an evergreen against red or gold trees
• Use the reflections in ponds, lakes and puddles
• Shoot low and up - a low angle up into the canopy can unlock overlapping hues
• Use leading lines like woodland paths or rivers which can guide the viewer's eye through the image
• Capture autumn wildlife

There are lots of opportunities for compositionally interesting photos in autumn.

Editing Autumn Photos

To bring the best out of your autumnal photos you should focus on enhancing the natural colours. Don’t be tempted to oversaturate, instead increase the vibrance of the photos to keep the tones realistic.

If you want to add a golden hue to your photo add a subtle warm tone curve and for those misty, foggy, cloudy shots you can experiment with dehaze and clarity sliders.

Camera Insurance

Autumn's unpredictable weather can pose risks for your camera gear. By taking out a camera insurance policy from Eversure, you can have peace of mind that your equipment is covered. Whether you're shooting in mist, rain or on muddy paths, you can be sure that if your gear gets damaged, lost, or stolen during your shoot, it will be protected.

Final Thoughts

By understanding how to adapt your camera settings, make use of filters and working with the changing light, you can capture the best of autumn - whether it's mist rolling through a valley, leaves caught mid-fall or wildlife preparing for winter.