Monday, October 3, 2011

FAll Photo Tips & Tricks

This October, capture the brilliance of fall leaves, a field of football players or porches decked with pumpkins and scarecrows. Here are a few tips and tricks for making the most of your autumn shots. 


Making the Most of Fall Foliage                                                        
1. To capture a solid background of fall leaves, stand on a step stool or climb to the top of a small hill, and try to shoot down on your subject.

2. If colors clash or brilliant fall leaves compete with your subject, set your camera to portrait mode. It will put the focus on your subject and blur the background.

3. Shoot on an overcast day, or early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The brilliant foliage you want to capture can easily be washed out by a bright day or the noontime sun. 



 


Haunting Halloween Photos         
1. Take several photos of your costumed kids before they set out. Leave it later and their makeup may be smeared or the night too cold for photographs without coats.

2. To capture lit Jack ‘o Lanterns in all their ghoulish glory, turn your flash off. The light from the pumpkins themselves will give enough light to define their shape and give you super styled photos.

3. Leave the flash off for at least a few shots of your trick or treaters too. Instead try, to photograph them as they pass under a porch light or street lamp.



Team Takes                                   
1. If you’re photographing your son’s high school football team, get down on the sidelines to catch the action. But watch for runaway players or you could become part of the game!

2. Make the players fill your viewfinder. You won’t capture the impact of a rugged play if the team members look like ants.

3. Keep your eye on the ball and try to get it in the picture for at least a few of your shots.

More Must-have Fall Shots                                                                                 
Home and garden
1. Vegetables and fruit before it’s picked
2. Newly harvested vegetables in basket or colander
3. Children at the pumpkin patch

School shots you missed in September
1. Getting on the bus
2. In front of the school sign
3. Child with bright backpack or new coat

Halloween shots
1. Classroom parties
2. From behind, headed-up-to-the-door shots of trick or treating
3. Carving the pumpkins

Community or church gatherings
1. Harvest festivals
2. “Trunk or treat” Halloween parties
3. Orchards or vegetable picking fields

The Gift of Photography                                                                                                        
Recording your friends and family at this, or any time of year is a gift of service and love. Nothing builds a child’s self esteem or cements bonds of love and friendship more than knowing you are important enough to be recorded. So ignore the occasional paparazzi comment and get out to the Pumpkin Patch. Your children’s children will thank you! 

    

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