Diversify Your Fall Portfolio

As I am a Vermont-based photographer, it probably won’t come as a surprise to find out that my absolute favorite time of year for outdoor photography is autumn. While New England has a reputation for some of the country’s most varied and vivid fall color, and rightly so, there are many other locations throughout the U.S. and abroad that boast incredible autumn displays.

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing fall color across the west, New England and even in the southern hemisphere. When it comes to chasing fall color, it simply does not last nearly long enough to satiate my appetite for making images, and it’s a very long wait before we see the vibrant autumn color return.

Timing Your Trip

No matter where you find yourself chasing the changing leaves, there are a few things to keep in mind that will go a long way to increasing your odds of capturing some great color. Trying to time so-called “peak” color in any given location is almost futile. There are so many variables that affect when and how leaves turn that you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to predict exactly when peak color is going to happen. If you put too high an expectation on capturing it, you’re more likely than not to be let down.

I’ve been photographing my home state of Vermont, arguably one of the country’s best fall foliage hot spots, for well over 20