Photographing fall leaves with your macro lens outdoors

I talked in another article about ways to photograph macro fall leaves indoors. This time I’d like to go outside and play with the macro lens and leaves.

You can’t replace the feeling of actually heading out with your camera on a crisp, blue sky fall day. Here are a few tips and things to be on the lookout for when you’re hiking your favorite trail.

Pay attention to the details

Watch where the light falls on the leaves you see. Backlit fall leaves are like little shards of stained glass all lit up.

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Check your background, move a step to the left or right to create a clean background for the leaf you are photographing.

Look up. Especially on blue sky days, you have an amazing background and contrasting colors many times.

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Get low. Put your camera on the ground. Shoot at the same level as the leaf you find if it’s already in the perfect spot. Also, get your camera wet (not too wet though). Set your camera along the edge of the creek or pond to capture those leaves swimming in the water.

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A few other notes on fall macro outside

Fall is not only about the color, but it’s also about the change of seasons. The moving on of life. Look for dried-up and crunchy leaves as well. Just because they’re brown doesn’t mean they won’t make for interesting images. Pine trees also can be something a little different to add to your leaf collection.

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It’s not too late to get out and find some fall color if you’re living in an area of the world where that happens. Go out and play. Fall macro images can be colorful and quite interesting.