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It’s that time of the year again – time for my annual Fall color photography tips. I’m going to keep it very short and sweet this time around because I know that the three people that read this have attention spans of a gnat. Here goes-

00366_s_11agqaxsjg0678a. Go out during a light rain or just after a rain when everything is wet. The colors will look great and magnificently saturated. But don’t even think about inducing any part of the sky- it is blank, white and exceedingly dull. Eliminate it.

b. Use a polarizing filter. Especially on wet days a polarizer is a photographer’s best friend. The filter will take glare off all shiny surface including leaves, rock, water, tree trunks and bald heads. You will lose two stops of light but with a tripod and a kinda of still day it won’t matter.

c. On sunny days shoot backlit foliage  or reflections but don’t shoot anything front lit. Straight ahead front lighting is very very boring and not very complimentary so avoid it. If you are photographing in the Rockies always shoot golden aspens backlit against blue skies.

d. Use a lens hood to keep rain off the front of your lens. ’nuff said.

e. Don’t forget to look down- the leaves on the forest floor or caught in ferns or in small pools of water are wonderful and usually overlooked.

fall mushroomf. Walk. Drive as little as possible, wander as much as possible. There is no prize for going the farthest but there is a reward for going the slowest. So stop frequently, bury your hands in your pockets and get lost. You’ll be surprised how much you find when you don’t know where you are.

g. There are lots of other things to photograph other than colorful leaves in the fall. This is the prime time for mushroom and exploding milk weed pods. Also spider webs can be great with dewy mornings and frost can turn the most ordinary thing into some magical.

h. No more. That’s enough. Stop looking at your device and go out and photograph!