Autumn Photography Opportunities

Autumn Photo Opportunities...

Yup, it's right on schedule; the nights are getting quite a bit cooler, the leaves are changing and the smell of autumn is in the air.

But beyond putting a few pumpkins on the front porch and opening the windows at night, have you given much thought to how you'll change your photography habits to best capitalize on the unique opportunities this season offers?  Photo professionals say that a huge part of photography - perhaps the most important part - is how the artist "sees" his or her world.  That being said, how is it that the observant and creative photographer "looks" differently at his or her surroundings while mother nature does her thing?

We asked our own photographers here at FreePhotoCourse.com and we'd like to share their words of imaging widsom with you.  First off, they all agreed that you really can't create truly authentic and interesting autumnal photos unless you dive into the season.  This means that you need to think about doing fall-ish types of things first and then think about the camera second.  (Their reasoning is that you'll be oblivious to the many beautiful visual opportunities if you're not actually participating.)

To further explain, our photog's suggest that you make it your priority to participate in various autumn activities rather than making the camera and gear the priority.  Take the cam along, but keep don't make it the most important thing.  They say that you should embrace the season rather than the camera and that by doing this, you'll notice a lot more that will inspire you photographically speaking.

Go for some hikes on leaf-scattered trails.  Take-in the beauty of a foggy autumn morning; the haze that embraces leafless trees can be just as awesome as the filtered rays of sunlight spreading along another morning's fog.  Pick your own pumpkin at a county pumpkin patch.  Go and get lost in a corn maze!

Have a free lunch hour?  Check out the nearest park and see how visually inviting leaves can be when they sit on just about anything.  Get invigorated by going for a run just after an October rain and you might notice some really cool reflections in puddles on your path that reveal gorgeous distorted mirror images of trees filled with crimson and gold leaves.

Go to some farmers' markets that are likely bursting with a bounty of local harvest.  Go for a drive down a lonely country road and see how a decaying old barn makes you feel during this season compared to any other.

Our photographers suggested that if you go out looking for photo opportunities of these delightful autumn subjects, you'll cheat yourself of many special experiences.  They say you should go for the experience first and the photo second.  After all, autumn is a time of pause and reflection - a time to consider where we've been and the things that winter will bring.  It's a time that all of the frenetic activities that so much a part of the rest of the year seem to slow down so much that the falling leaves become the preferred movement of the day.

Fall is already in full-swing.  Are you ready for it?

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