Seven Autumn Photo Tips & Ideas

Autumn is the perfect time of year to head outdoors and have fun with your photography. It’s easy to do with the help of these seven autumn photography tips and tricks.

As the world transforms into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, the changeable weather provides new motifs, and the low sun creates unique lighting conditions. Autumn has so much to offer and is the perfect time to put your photography skills to the test.

Tip 1: Capture colour diversity with water

Autumn is an explosion of colour that provides a palette of colours, from deep red to orange to bright yellow. It's worth highlighting using image editing software or social media platforms like Instagram to add more vibrancy (saturation), higher contrast, and warmth (white balance), which helps you get the most out of your autumn landscape photography.

• Visit places at different times of day and under various sky conditions - the effect on the photo will be very different depending on the cloud cover.
• The best time to capture these autumnal reflection shots are during golden hour as the sun begins to set, making the colours even more vibrant on the ground and across the water.
• Pay attention to the weather forecast – the less wind, the better the scenery will reflect in the water.

Tip 2: Using leaves to capture the joy

The warm colours of autumn provide a perfect backdrop for portraits. Whether posed for a photoshoot or capturing spontaneous moments, fallen leaves are a popular subject. Everyone will enjoy this small-scale autumn scene.

• The best camera setting for fall foliage is a low ISO. Set the camera to a wide aperture (e.g., f/3.5), ISO 200 to 400, and an exposure time of 1/500 to 1/250 of a second, and focus on the person. You can do this on your mobile phone by adjusting the exposure. This will bring out the best colours and keep your photos looking sharp.
• Find a quiet spot with an autumnal backdrop and gather a selection of leaves on a sheet of paper or something sturdier, like cardboard. Once ready, pick it up, count down from three, toss the leaves into the air, and capture several photos in quick succession, either manually or by using burst mode.
• When playing in the autumn leaves, use a fast shutter speed with low ISO to freeze the movement and avoid blurring.

Tip 3: Taking photos of wild animals

Autumn is an active time for animals, with only a handful of UK-based animals genuinely hibernating. For example, squirrels gather food for winter, birds prepare for migration, and deer are in mating season. It's important to remember to keep your distance, so a good zoom will help you capture a beautiful photograph while maintaining a reasonable distance.

• Whenever possible, take photos from eye level. Lie on the ground for small animals. Tip: Bring a garbage bag as a base to avoid getting wet.
• Use a tripod to avoid camera shake, even at long focal lengths.
• Focus on the animal's eyes.

Tip 4: The colours of autumn leaves

As a lock screen, wall art for your home or a seasonal phone case, photos of colourful autumn leaves from different perspectives are fascinating and satisfying to look at.

Whether as a close-up, revealing the intricate details in the foliage, or as a flat image full of different autumnal foliage and colours.

• Pay meticulous attention to the image's composition—for example, ensure no unsightly gaps between the leaves and remove any distracting branches.
• Take photos from a vantage point as flat as possible.
• Choose a medium aperture (for example, f/8) to ensure consistent sharpness.

Tip 5: Bad weather, good photos

Even though we sometimes miss the warmth of summer, the different weather in autumn is a photographer's dream – even when it's raining. A sudden shower intensifies the colours, while a storm creates dramatic clouds. Keep your camera ready to capture these autumn moments, perhaps for your next photo calendar.

• Choose clothing appropriate for autumn to create a harmonious look. On dreary days, colourful clothing is a good option to draw attention to people.
• The background is blurred due to the open aperture (small aperture number, e.g. f/2.8).
• Consciously take photos where your loved ones look directly into the camera and where they feel unobserved. Unobserved moments create a cosy atmosphere, while dynamic photos benefit from looking into the camera.

Tip 6: Family photo shoot at the lake

Take advantage of the stunning natural backdrop to create warm and authentic photos of the whole family. The golden hour after sunrise or just before sunset is ideal. This light emphasizes the warm colours of autumn and flatters the skin.

• Choose a perspective where the background behind the subjects isn't distracting. This works very well here because of the fog. Otherwise, use a wide aperture for a soft, blurred background.
• Take photos from different angles, with lots of scenery around and up close.
• Always take multiple shots – the more people in the picture, the more likely someone has their eyes closed or looks away.
• When playing in the autumn leaves, use a fast shutter speed with low ISO to freeze the movement and avoid blurring.

Tip 7: Photographing mushrooms in the forest

On your next walk, keep an eye out for mushrooms. Not to collect but to photograph! Nature has created beautiful still life for us, which we must photograph. Get down to eye level with the mushroom to direct the focus to the subject.

• When shooting mushrooms up close in macro photography, slight movements can cause blurriness due to the shallow depth of field. Use a tripod or rest your camera on a stable surface to minimize movement.
• Switch to manual focus for precise control, ensuring the most interesting part of the mushroom (such as its gills texture or cap) is sharply focused. Be mindful of your aperture—start with an f/stop of around f/8 to f/16 to balance sharpness and depth of field, ensuring the entire mushroom is in focus while keeping some background blur.
• Use the soft light in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid harsh shadows. In dark corners, you can also use a flashlight from a distance. If the light is still too bright or creates unnaturally harsh light, you can place a handkerchief (or some thin, translucent fabric) over it. This acts as a diffuser, which softens the light and spreads it out more evenly.

We hope you feel inspired to get out this autumn and give one of our seven awesome autumn photography tips a go! If you do, make sure you enter your favourites in the world’s largest free photography competition, the CEWE Photo Award.