HOW TO SHOOT THE MAGIC OF AUTUMN

Every season has its pros and cons when it comes to photographic opportunities, but when you look at autumn’s long list of benefits, you can understand why it’s a time of year that has been getting creative people excited for centuries. As the green canopy of summer begins to evolve into more muted but highly evocative oranges and reds, and the skeletal shape of woodland starts to appear, the transformation of the natural world seems made for inspirational photography.

With sunrise and sunset occurring at more civilised hours, and changeable weather that can bring glorious sunshine one minute and dark, stormy skies the next, autumn’s appeal is undeniable. Of course, there are some downsides, though. Unpredictable and cooler weather can drive you indoors, but the bonus here is that you can always take a bit of autumn inside with you to carry on shooting.

The real beauty of autumn is that often you don’t need to travel that far in order to get the best shots. Whether you are just mooching around in your garden or hunting the woodland floor for inspiration, there will always be great shots that are easily accessible.

Over the next 15 pages, we’re going to unpick this potential, explore some of the subjects you’ll find and reveal the techniques needed to succeed. From detailed macro work where you control the light, to chasing elusive wildlife through its parkland landscape and the delicate task of capturing fungi on the forest floor, we have 12 exciting photo projects for you to try.

1 SHOOT CLOSE-UP AUTUMN SHOTS IN YOUR HOME

Bring nature indoors for more intimate shoots

To create your own seasonal still life, collect a handful of fallen leaves and set up indoors on a table. We’re going to use a macro lens, so depth of field will be limited, meaning we can make a complementary background from the extra leaves that will fall out of focus.

For the main focal point, place a few drops of water on the main leaf with a fine-tipped artist’s brush, and focus on the lead droplet.

You can light the still life using natural window light. For more directional lighting, use an LED light, too. Even with extra lighting and a wide aperture, such as f/4, the shutter speed is going to be slow. To counter this, put the camera on a tripod and use Live View to organise your composition.

Once you have everything how you want it, use the camera’s self-timer or a cable release to fire the shutter so you don’t introduce any camera movement and blur the image. Check the results on the screen and zoom in to ensure that your droplet is pin-sharp.

2 IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY…

Fungi is a must-shoot subject in these months, and a steady search on the forest floor will provide a rich source of visually appealing subjects

Setting up a still life on a table top is one thing – shooting one on the floor of your local woodland is an entirely different undertaking! Although it means working at ground level and making small adjustments to the camera position to create the best composition, it really is worth it – even though