Season of photographic

Season of photographic fruitfulness

Pete Lock Photography

By Tracy Calder, co-founder of the annual Close-up Photographer of the Year competition

Autumn has a unique way of satisfying the senses. As a keen close-up photographer, I can often be found lying among the leaf litter inhaling the rich scent of decaying bark, twigs, and leaves. Lying still you become more aware of your surroundings: a twitching leaf pile betrays the presence of a small bird or mammal, the squeak of branches rubbing against each other adds music, and the mild discomfort of acorns and pine cones digging into your ribs reminds you that this is a season of great renewal and abundance. It’s a fabulous time to explore nature with your camera. But with so much going on it can be hard to know where to begin. To help, we have compiled a list of tips covering everything from freezing motion to celebrating shadows and playing with light.

1. Look up

We often take pictures at eye-level, but there’s much to be gained from looking up. In colder months, many trees begin to lose their leaves and the canopy changes daily. Spend time in Dickson’s Copse and you’ll soon see what I mean. A wide-angle lens is great for including the trunk and boughs of a tree and giving a sense of it soaring straight up into the sky.

2. Stay low

The world at your feet can provide plenty of autumn photo opportunities – especially when you explore it with a macro lens. Everything from moss and lichen to skeletal leaves and fallen fruit can be excellent subject matter. Ventnor Botanic Garden is the ideal hunting ground. When shooting close to the ground a beanbag or a tripod with a central column that can be switched to the horizontal position is helpful.

3. Capture motion

By experimenting with your shutter speed you can play with the way moving elements are recorded in the frame. A fast shutter speed will freeze motion, while a slow shutter speed will blur it. The right speed depends on several things: the direction the subject is moving, the focal length of the lens you are using and the speed at which the subject is moving across the frame. Head to an area with fast-flowing water (Shanklin Chine is ideal) and explore the options.

4. Consider texture

Autumn appeals to all the senses: the heady smell of decomposing vegetation, the sight of red squirrels gathering fruits and seeds, the crunch of dry leaves underfoot and the rough texture of bark as pieces flake and fall. To bring out texture you need to consider lighting – soft, diffused light can often be good - but a bit of side lighting is perfect for emphasising layers. Brighstone Forest is sure to deliver on all fronts.

5. Highlight the details

You can really bring out the colour and detail of autumn leaves using backlighting (where the light shines through a semi-translucent object). Try filling the frame with your subject or including some background to provide context. If you choose the latter, be aware that darker backgrounds are often preferable. When the wind rises above 10mph consider taking a leaf indoors and taping it to a window. Medina Arboretum is a great place to play with leaves and light.

6. Celebrate shadows

Shadows serve a variety of aesthetic functions: they can direct a viewer’s gaze around a picture, describe the form of an object, emphasise texture, create mystery, become the subject of a photograph or lessen the impact of unwanted elements. Autumn and winter are ideal seasons for experimenting with shadows as the sun is lower in the sky, creating clearly defined, dark and long shapes. While interesting shadows can be found in nature, it’s also worth looking for them in architectural settings, such as Osborne House.

7. Play with orientation

We often take pictures with our camera held in landscape/horizontal orientation because it’s the way our eyes naturally see, but you can change the feeling of a picture dramatically by turning the camera on its side. Play around with static subjects first: fungi or rocks on the beach, for example, before moving on to moving subjects; that way you’ll have fewer variables to worry about. Personally, I love to shoot abstracts of pebbles and rocks at sites such as Bembridge Beach.