Autumn, my favorite season of the year, is again almost upon us. Autumn brings with it wonderful fall colors. And, after a long, hot summer, the cooler temperatures make photographing those colors so enjoyable.
Going through my photo library the other day, I found this image I created several years ago. While returning home after running some errands early one morning, I caught a glimpse of a patch of bright color. Turning, I quickly identified the source of that color: a small cluster of three I had passed hundreds of times before with hardly a glance.
Arriving at my house, I grabbed my camera and hurriedly returned to the street where the trees were located. Finding a suitable spot from which to shoot, I zoomed my lens to get just the framing I wanted.
Selecting the shutter speed was my main consideration for two reasons. First, I was handholding the camera. Second, there was a very slight breeze rustling the leaves. These two factors meant I needed a relatively fast shutter speed that would prevent the leaves from blurring. The aperture was not a concern in this case because I was far enough from the subject that any aperture would maintain sufficient depth of field.
Processing the image was fairly straightforward. I increased the contrast, added some clarity, and boosted the vibrance and saturation. As I studied the final image, I began to wonder what would happen if I turned the picture into a painting. So, I applied Photoshop’s oil painting filter to the picture and really liked the effect.
After re-finding this image in my library, I can’t wait autumn’s arrival and with it all the photographic opportunities it brings.
Settings: 160mm, 1/400 sec, f3.5, ISO 200