A dazzling display

Mike Harris captures an autumn landscape and uses colour grading techniques to enhance the russet tones

-  Mike Harris

Landscape photography is a year-round pursuit and every season is a treasure trove of photographic potential. But Autumn’s melting pot of orange, red and yellow hues is something truly special. However, if you’re going to capture this dazzling display at its very best, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

Peak autumn changes year upon year and can depend on the trees you’re shooting and even your location. The best conditions don’t last long either, so if you’re not ready to pounce you can miss your chance. We’d recommend keeping a close eye on the foliage in your area between October and November. If you have a special location in mind, multiple visits will better your chances of hitting autumn’s golden jackpot.

While we wouldn’t recommend relying on post-production to transform your color palette, editing software is incredibly effective at enhancing what’s already there. Shooting Raw is a must, so you’re working with as much data as possible. It’s then simply a case of using the various colour grading tools found in Adobe CC to warm up your image further and really bring out those red, yellow, and orange tones.