94 DIGITAL CAMERA^ OCTOBER 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
Spotlight on Autumn photography
“Combining autumn’s
red, orange, amber and
yellow could deliver a
thrilling mosaic of tones”
Charlie Waite
some stage of decay, exhibiting almost
all of the seasons in one. If so, consider
discovering it where it was naturally
meant to fall and present it to your
audience as being precious, sacred
and beautiful.- The sheer ‘heat’ of some autumn
colour needs no exaggeration, but the
ways of conveying autumn and the way
it expresses itself to photographers
will always be entirely down to how the
photographer responds. Combining red,
orange, amber and yellow could deliver
a thrilling mosaic of tones. Perhaps
consider which hue you would like to
be most pronounced against the
others, or allocate to them equally
proportionate importance. - Water and autumn colour deliver
numerous options. And the resurgence
of intentional camera movement, long
shutter speeds and multiple exposures
can deliver some glorious results (and
some catastrophic ones, too).
Consider using different shutter
speeds for water as the velocity of
the water will dictate the effectiveness
of your chosen speed. Water can look
especially magical if there’s a suggestion
that it is in fact water. With all its chaotic
froth, along with the darkest cavernous
shadows, turbulent water may exceed
the ability of the sensor to embrace it.
A lost highlight is lost forever, so watch
out for extreme contrast.- Backlit scenes (shooting ‘contre-jour’)
offer a wonderful opportunity to convey
true autumnal splendour. Some trees
do not offer the vibrancy of their leaves
that others do. I was looking at a
chestnut tree the other day, and thought
it was rather low-key. But there are so
many factors involved with the degree
of autumn colour to discuss here.
Research is often so worthwhile –
perhaps there is a powerful muscular
branch somewhere that could look
breathtakingly explosive when backlit.
If we are truly photographers and we
wish to honour and relish our natural
world and the untold nuances that it
offers us, then let us get out and be
there to receive them.
ABOUT CHARLIE WAITE
- Charlie is widely regarded as one
of Britain’s greatest landscape
photographers. He co-founded the
photography travel company Light &
Land, and also runs the Take A View
Landscape Photographer of the Year
competition, now in its 13th year.
http://www.charliewaite.com
RIGHT
CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE
In search of some autumn colours,
I crossed the channel to Epernay, the
champagne grape-growing area of
France. On the third day, despite fair
and unseasonably warm weather,
I failed to find autumn colour and
chose to head home. Feeling mildly
despondent, I left for Le Havre.
A kilometre beyond me, I noticed a
double line of fine plane trees, the lower
half of their trunks half-hidden by the
stubbled slope of a nearby hill. After
some dead ends and a chain barrier were
deftly lifted out of the way, I was able to
find what remains of one of the most
glorious plane tree avenues I have seen.
What is it about a tree-lined avenue
that holds so much appeal? Surely it is
the uncertainty and mystery of what
lies beyond. This avenue near Epernay
needed light to introduce a sparkle
and to enliven the trees with some
speckled highlights. That afternoon
there seemed little prospect of light,
but I still set up the tripod.SETTINGS
LENS 50mm
EXPOSURE 1/2 sec at f/22
FILTERS Polariser Charlie^ Waite