Friday, October 17, 2008

Capturing the startling beauty of fall colors is easy once you separate fact from fiction

Fall is in the air, and those magnificent fall colors can be yours as soon as you learn a few expert tips - and free yourself from a longstanding fall photography falsehood. Get your facts straight and your camera ready, because the favorite time of the year for colorful outdoor photography is here.

On this week's free 7 Photography Questions podcast with host Dr. Audri Lanford, master photographer Jim Zuckerman answers 7 of the biggest questions about photographing fall colors.

Jim Zuckerman, the author of 12 photography books and hundreds of articles including work published by National Geographic and Time-Life Books, explains that the biggest myth about fall photography is "shooting during the middle of the day when the sun is out. Everybody loves the brilliant colors -- the red, the orange, and the yellow maple leaves and oak leaves. People think that you need bright sunlight to show it. In fact, you want to avoid direct sunlight. It sets up too much contrast."

Zuckerman offers many tips, techniques and secrets, including:

A surprising weather condition that most people avoid yet can create stunning photographs of fall colors.

The top places to go when photographing in autumn, and the optimum time of day to shoot.

The best lenses, gear, and equipment for photographs of vibrant fall colors.

Tips for dealing with windy conditions and protecting your gear in bad weather.

Exercises that will help you improve your fall color photography composition and skills.

Towards the end of the interview, Zuckerman also tells the story behind some of his own autumn photographs and explains how you, too, can take excellent photographs of brilliant fall colors. Simply click here to find this interview, called "Photographing Fall Colors - An Interview with Jim Zuckerman".

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