Signs that fall is on its way are evident: shorter days, possibly cooler evenings and colors beginning to transform – sure telltale signs that autumn has arrived!
At such an idyllic time of year, fall photography makes for stunning pictures. But how do you go about editing those Autumn photographs so they pop?
First Step in Nature
To capture those beautiful fall colors, get out into nature. Visit your own garden, nursery or garden center as well as your local Botanic Park to capture these photos of nature at its best. Personally, I prefer going early morning or late afternoon when there’s beautiful morning dew and deep shadows to capture.
Fall truly offers some of the best lighting. For an ethereal and atmospheric experience, head out in the afternoon when the sun is low – not only will this give you ample sleep-in opportunities!
Check Your Histogram
Before taking photos, don’t forget to keep an eye on the histogram. If the lighting conditions in your image are too dim or bright, colors captured may become washed out – this doesn’t mean dark and moody shots or bright and cheery ones cannot exist – just too far off to either extreme makes recovering them difficult. Once editing programs have finished their process, check for an even spread in the middle area; ensure your channels also feature good coverage.
Lightroom Classic can help you add some subtle contrast and vibrance, and boost the saturation and vibrance just a touch. In this example, I used +5. Don’t go too crazy though as too much saturation may result in banding or make the image unnatural looking.
HSL panels allow users to increase the saturation of various colors. I boosted reds, oranges and yellows in this autumn leaf photograph for enhanced golden tones.
Color grading can also add subtle toning effects to your image by manipulating its midtones, shadows and highlights via color channels. I added subtle reddish tones into this photo’s shadows and highlights using just a light touch – remember moderation!
Next time you capture those beautiful fall colors, don’t forget to edit your photographs so their colours pop! Also consider sharing your images in our Photofocus Community!