Here are my Tips for fall foliage photography because I was asked, “if I plan to give a practical course on how to photograph fall foliage? Especially on reflections and lakes with mist”. I’m not really the teaching type (but I do have a short list of friends who do have seminars) but I do like to put ideas out here in my blog. I do hope this helps folks improve their own photography.

I hate to say it, but sometimes it just happens with no plan at all!

First the reality of photographing fall foliage

The reality is that many of you/us fall into one of several photographic categories. Pro or near-pro photographers, hobby shooters with nice equipment, amateurs with cell phones or entry-level cameras (pros with cell phones are slightly different), and those who have a camera and just point it at something hoping that it comes out.

You probably fit somewhere in between these categories but face it, we all have been on this list somewhere. Some may say, yeah, you have pro*ish” equipment, so Jeff, you’re a pro!… I appreciate that confidence in me but let me say this.

I’ve had a camera since I was 9 years old. I was not born a good photographer, in fact, quite the opposite. I look at my film pictures today of 1968 or 1973, etc…  and can’t figure out why someone didn’t take my camera away, I was that bad/inexperienced. But along the way, I got better. I sold my first image in college (a crab on seaweed) and over the years I kept shooting and practicing and looking at what the Pros were doing and I got out there and I shot. (a lot!)

Back to fall foliage and the quality of light

It’s all about the light on the subject. The light refers to the quality of the light. At first light, meaning the dawn light is warm and comforting. The afternoon light is also similar. It transitions from a heavy contrast with little shadow near noon to warmer light as the sun approaches the horizon and wonderful longer shadows before sunset.

Does this mean I don’t shoot during the rest of the day? I assure you I do, although my expectations of these shots are just being memories or they are documenting what I saw for a future article. I will say that sometimes these shots turn out terrific.

What have we learned so far?

• I wasn’t always a good photographer
• I practiced a lot over 40+ years (Yes you can do it in less time, I’m a slow learner)
• I love to shoot at dawn and at sunset, as well as the rest of the day
• Sometimes, something I shoot at noon turns out ok!

So between now and your arrival in New England to photograph our impressive fall foliage, your assignment is to get your manual out, start reading it, And…

Next, on your way to or from work…

• stop and take some pictures
• at lunch take some more
• and on the way home take some more.

Compare them all on the computer. See what you like about them and what you don’t. delete all, unless they are good (or a memory).

Retired and no job to go to? (You lucky dog!) Take the dog for his/her morning walk an hour earlier and take a few pictures, at Lunchtime take the dog… Well, you get the idea. The whole purpose is to practice before you need the camera.

Reflections, Misty Lakes, and More…

If you have been practicing getting up at dawn the rest of this is easy. Like you, I love beautiful fall colors reflected on ponds or rivers. The enemy of reflections is wind. I generally find my best reflections are at dawn and sunset because the winds are the calmest at dawn and dusk.

Here is the same day at Mirror Lake in New Hampshire. The shot on the left is at dawn (7:30 AM) with the sun coming in from my right shoulder and the colors are much warmer. The shot on the right is at 2:28 PM with a little breeze upsetting the reflection but still wonderful images.

The key in my book to a good/great fall foliage reflection shot is having the sun either behind you or to your left or right. I want the light reflected back at me and this punches up the colors. In my best reflections, you will never see me shooting into the sun… (well I try not to because it rarely works)
Below tells a little different story.

Take this picture of Coffin Pond on Route 18 in Franconia Notch. After you go to Polly’s Pancake Parlor, come back out to Route 18 and head a short distance north (just under a mile) and Coffin Pond will be on the left.

Remember what I said above about afternoon shots only for our memories, well this is a hell of a memory, as I shot it on a cloudy afternoon at 2:11 PM. That is why I never stop shooting. Because between dawn and dusk, if you give up, you lose any chance of finding a surprise like this (it was pouring cats and dogs 15 minutes later).

The light was very flat and overcast but just for a few seconds, the sun broke through just enough to come in from my left. It’s not perfect but it works for me. It comes down to this, you have to work with what you have. I’m not going to NOT take pictures just because it’s not perfect. I still want the memories and they allow me to tell this story.

So, what have we learned?

• Dawn and dusk are usually best for mirror-like reflections
• Never shoot into the sun
• The best light is reflected back at you with the sun behind you or coming in from the side.
• Jeff is real lucky
• Polly’s Pancake Parlor on Route 17 in Sugar Hill is a great place to stop before or after catching reflections…

Mist on ponds with fall foliage reflections

Mist or fog usually will be prevalent on cool or cold mornings over ponds or lakes that are warmer than the air above them. The colder air above the pond becomes saturated and fog forms. You should get there BEFORE the sun comes up. You heard me, before dawn. Because going to Polly’s for breakfast and then looking for mist on Coffin Pond may not work. Not even Jeff is that lucky!

Places where I’ve found mist on a pond or lake? How about Crystal Lake in Eaton, New Hampshire, Lake Chocorua, NH, (as seen at the top), and a few others.

On Crystal Lake, there is a little white church that waits for me each year to try and catch it, just perfect. Just twice I’ve managed to be there at dawn and the first time I was close.

A few years later, the morning was breezy, and NOT a whisp of mist or fog was to be seen on the lake. But oh what clouds reflecting back the colorful sunrise.

Then I was heading up the mountain road above the pond and I found this little dell with its own patch of foggy goodness.

This may not be a reflection but as I was driving through the fog on the way up from Crystal Lake I saw this image in the side view mirror. I did not add the light beams except to up the contrast so what was there stood out more.

So what have we learned?

• Catching mist on a pond or lake requires some planning and luck
• It requires cool or cold air temperatures
• It requires a lack of wind, just like looking for any reflection of autumn color
• Jeff is still lucky but also he knows when to stop and turn around!

This is what I have for fall foliage reflections and misty mornings by the lake. Practice and patience are the hallmarks of catching these elusive events.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

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