Using the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 to photograph fall

Ah, fall. The colors, the smells of campfires and s’mores and the cooler weather. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. 

When creating images that show and tell the stories of fall, my go-to lens is the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD. To be honest, this is my go-to lens for almost everything I photograph. 

Capturing the details and colors with the Tamron 100-400mm

While wide, sweeping colorful landscapes are gorgeous during the fall, finding the beautiful textures and colors in the details also makes for some interesting images. The details also help tell the story. Using my Tamron 100-400mm lens allows me to get up close, see the edges of leaves and the shapes they make.

Of course, it’s all about the colors in the fall as well. By zooming in you can fill your frame with brilliant reds, oranges and yellows.

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It also allows me to show viewers parts of an area that may often be overlooked. The shadows on the stairs or the colors and interesting patterns from reflections. 

Creating art

Another way to photograph fall while focusing on smaller snippets of the location is to find similarities in your locations. Leaves randomly floating in a pond, the river or a lake nearby caused me to think about how they create their own compositions. 

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Standing and watching the motion and movement of the leaves was mesmerizing. But then I focused on waiting for the pieces of leaves and twigs to connect and create the most intriguing shapes. Could I have grabbed leaves, twigs and other bits of nature and created my own? Sure, but I don’t think it would have looked as natural.

This series was one I experimented with using Topaz Studio. I liked how they created a cohesive series and they look great as notecards.

Using the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens to create fall abstracts

When the colors of fall are reflected into lakes, ponds and rivers they magically transform the surfaces into abstract images. By using zooming in on the surface you can see the shapes and undulations of the water more clearly. They appear to be moving even as you snap the shutter to capture that moment.

Again, by standing and watching for a few minutes, you’ll start to notice how the colors combine and the shapes come together and move apart. By studying this a bit, you’ll be able to create interesting compositions.

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Or wait for that perfect fallen leaf to float into the scene and use that as another way to add to your story.

Using the fall colors as a background

The Tamron 100-400mm lens creates a wonderful bokeh which is great for framing and using as a backdrop for the subject of your photo. Just that hint of fall color lets your viewer know what time of year it is. Those subtle colors also help to add depth to your images.

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Be different

Try different lenses to create unique and unusual fall images. Take the time to make that epic fall trees in full color reflected in the lake image. But, also take the time to see what other opportunities there are to capture the essence of fall.