Every season has its pros and cons when it comes to photographic opportunities, but when you look at autumn’s long list of benefits, you can understand why it’s a time of year that has been getting creative people excited for centuries. As the green canopy of summer begins to evolve into more muted but highly evocative oranges and reds, and the skeletal shape of woodland starts to appear, the transformation of the natural world seems made for inspirational photography.
With sunrise and sunset occurring at more civilised hours, and changeable weather that can bring glorious sunshine one minute and dark, stormy skies the next, autumn’s appeal is undeniable. Of course, there are some downsides, though. Unpredictable and cooler weather can drive you indoors, but the bonus here is that you can always take a bit of autumn inside with you to carry on shooting.
The real beauty of autumn is that often you don’t need to travel that far in order to get the best shots. Whether you are just mooching around in your garden or hunting the woodland floor for inspiration, there will always be great shots that are easily accessible.
Over the next 15 pages, we’re going to unpick this potential, explore some of the subjects you’ll find and reveal the techniques needed to succeed. From detailed macro work where you control the light, to chasing elusive wildlife through its parkland landscape and the delicate task of capturing fungi on the forest floor, we have 12 exciting photo projects for you to try.
1 SHOOT CLOSE-UP AUTUMN SHOTS IN YOUR HOME
Bring nature indoors for more intimate shoots
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Spice up autumn
Bold autumnal colours lend themselves to bold editing techniques, says James Abbott
Breathe new life into forgotten photos with Enhance
James Paterson tries out Photoshop's AI image-enhancing tools to see if they can rescue an old, noisy, heavily-cropped raw file
Scanning ahead...
Paris 2024 was memorable not only for sport, says Jon Devo, but also innovative video tech
Shot of the month
Photojournalist Aaron Gekoski has produced a documentary about animal exploitation
10 AMAZING AUTUMN PROJECTS TO SHOOT
With summer behind us and winter approaching, autumn is an exciting creative stopgap. James Abbott explores some of its possibilities
Hotshots
Our showcase of the winning entries from the World Sports Photography Awards 2024
The art of seeing
Benedict Brain examines the tourist gaze and explores why we take 'travel' photographs
Historic streets
Andrew Bransby reveals the secrets of successfully shooting popular tourist hotspots at night
Don't get stuck in a rut
Brian Wakeling explains how get a winning shot from herds of deer
How to capture canals and docks
Wendy Evans investigates the watery arteries of the Industrial Revolution