I live on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, divided by the Mississippi River. I jokingly refer to my bit of property as “Sillycat Valley” because, although we are involved in technology, this area bears no resemblance to Silicon Valley in California.
However, we have acquired the most remarkable collection of affectionate and amusing felines over the years. My constant photographing of these silly cats with a film camera led me to using digital cameras early on. That's because I would take spent quite a bit of money having the film processed, only to keep perhaps one or two good cat shots.
It's the same thing with fall foliage photos. People who shoot fall foliage get what is sometimes known as the “Grand Canyon syndrome.” This is where people are so overwhelmed with the site they just keep pressing the shutter button. Naturally, this is not as big a problem is when you had to pay for each picture you took!
This season, however, the reverse may be the case. Because of the giant windstorm, it seems like the leaves were off the trees even faster than usual. But there is a bright side. This may give you an opportunity to look at fall foliage a different way.
Frankly, I sometimes find these gorgeous overly saturated panoramic vistas of fall color a bit boring. Even though they are perhaps technically correct, they somehow look like shots you see on the calendar that is given to you by the local oil company or gas station. I prefer to look more closely at individual leaves that are already on the ground. And this is the perfect season to try this yourself.
First, locate the setting on your camera that switches the lens to the so-called “macro mode.” This allows you to focus more closely than normal. Also locate the plus minus exposure control, which allows you to lighten or darken the picture without having to resort to using f-stops and shutter speeds. You simply press the plus to make a picture lighter and the minus button to make the picture darker. Darkening the picture slightly may saturate the color of the leaf.
Once you've located these two controls began walking around with your head down, looking at the ground. See if you can find an unusual combination of leaves, pine cones and other artifacts of the fall. The idea is that a single leaf, cluster of acorns or other selection may better photographically symbolize the season compared to the calendar-like vista. By focusing in on a detail you may also end up with something that looks better as a small picture on a screen or in print.
So, if you miss the chance to catch the glorious leaves this fall, don't despair! Get out there and get shooting before the snow covers the leaves!