Shooting Fall Foliage

[canonloader]

North America is supposed to have the worlds best Fall foliage display. I now have an ultra wide angle lens, a Tokina 12-24, and it is sharp with great colors on both the 40D and the old 1D. I have been looking around for the last 2 or 3 weeks at the places I have to shoot from, with views of hillsides, mountainsides, in the woods with the trees, long distance and up close perspectives, and I have been practicing, getting ready, getting the feel for it. Now they are just starting to change.

But I am getting the idea that the UWA is maybe not the best lens for this. My next closest "wide angle" is the 70-200/4. And I'm not sure it's going to do it either. And unfortunately, I don't have anything between the 24 and 70mm range and won't be able to afford it before the leaves are gone.

Any suggestions, how do you shoot them, what lenses do you use? And feel free to post examples. :)

[engsetr1]

You should be able to nice shots with any lens, I find sometimes when I don't have the "right lens" or there is NO obvious photo op's is when you get the best shots! It makes you think outside the box!

[canonloader]

Your right in general, any decent lens FL should take good pics, and do. I guess I am looking for examples and what lenses were used to take them, EXIF data and such. It's hard to explain what I am after, so pics work better, but I generally learn what I am after in these types of threads. :)

[chauncey]

I bought a wide angle lens for a recent trip to Colorado and as hindsight, I think it was a mistake.

Took numerous "test" shots using the WA and compared them to several photomerged series done with my 70-200.
After cropping to equalize the scenes, I found no discernable differences in the IQ's of the images.

In the future my lens selection will be based, in large part, to the MFT characteristics, but only for static subjects.

As far as to how/what to shoot, I'm struggling with the same questions and look forward to more input.

[canonloader]

Chauncy, I was offered the loan of this Tokina 12-24 from a member that lives about 60 miles from here. I immediately fell in love it it. Partly due to the fact that it is an EF mount and not an EF-s mount configuration. Meaning that it works great on the 40D and the 1D Classic. Aside from it being a remarkably well made lens, better I feel than either the Canon 10-22 or the Sigma 10-20, it has given new life to the old 1D. Those who say that megapixels don't count, are pretty much right when shooting ultra wide.

I think the lens is going to do great for single trees with great colors on them, or a small grove. The problem is with ultra wides, the lighting needs to be just so, or you end up with very dark areas where shadows are and very light areas in the sky. Dynamic range really makes itself known in ultra wides. Hopefully we will both see some nice examples posted. :)

By the way, I just did some Googling and found some great examples on of all things, the Weather Channel member photo section. Lot's of examples there, but unfortunately, the EXIF has been stripped from them. Worth a look though. Plenty of good and not so good shots.

[PhotosGuy]

But I am getting the idea that the UWA is maybe not the best lens for this. It could work well with a good tree close to you & others in the distance. others in the distance. Generally, I think a WA makes them too small, & I'd prefer to shoot a pano with a longer lens to avoid that.
Don't forget to shoot some tele detail shots, too.
Fall Leaves 2007 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=397479)

[Mosca]

I'd take both lenses, and get some hillsides and closeups with the 12-24, and some hillsides and closeups with the 70-200. My limited knowledge tells me that that is four different ways to get great shots. I'm taking both my 70-200 and my 17-55 when I go to shoot foliage.

[canonloader]

Nice closeups Frank. I just got back from a shoot, scouting more hillsides. I found a few that will do good with the 70-200 or the 300/4, but are simply too far for any wide angle, with all kinds of wires and other man made junk in the foreground. I took both lenses, but never used the wide angle. I'll see what I got after processing them. :)

[wallybud]

35L or 135L for detail;) just kidding

Mitch are you serious the Tokina would be AWESOME! Just make sure you have a nice CPL on it when shooting in the fall...the Tokina can bring out some amazing color but reflections on the foliage will KILL color everytime...the CPL will make all your shots pop overcast day or not.

Also try to shoot with the foliage backlit (not all the way but maybe from a slight side angle) this allows the light to come through the back of the leaves and REALLY bring all of their detail and color out.

As for shots...think wooden fences/foggy mornings/20 minutes after sunrise (but w/o the sun in the frame) etc etc

Like 20mm shooting along a nice wooden fence leading you right up to a row of burning red foliage;)

Dont think you have to go way out there to get good fall shots...many great shots can come from quaint little town really early in the morning when no one is out:)

I plan to head up to the NH coast in mid oct to shoot and maybe even MASS if I can't wait that long

PS Use the 70-200 for isolating spectacular foliage or catching a single leave falling with many other trees in the bg...check this image out with the 35L

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=277475&page=3#105

[michaelnel]

I'm headed to the Eastern Sierra to chase aspens the first weekend of October, taking the 40D, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and Canon 70-200 f/4L IS. I expect all of them will be useful depending on conditions.

[canonloader]

Walt, I have spent hours driving around to spots I know about, and the Tokina is just not going to cut it except for close ups of trees I am in the middle of. The lay of the land is hills and valleys, with very few overlooks available to see the opposite hillside of the valley. It's just too far for a wide angle to show anything but smears of color with no detail. I think the 70-200 might work here, if I can get line of sight. I'm still looking though. :)

[wallybud]

Will you be using a tripod?;) why smears of color

[canonloader]

I almost always use a tripod. Smears of color, because the other side of the valley is too far for a wide angle to show any kind of small detail, like leaves, even individual trees. I'm talking half a mile or more.

[wallybud]

OH lol well isn't that an obvious 70-200 shot? Im talking in town when normal streets and corner stores become gorgeous looking due to the colors that surround them. But if the 12-24 is too wide then your going to need something inbetween...? budget? lol

35mm X 1.6 will give you 54mm fov...that nice and in the middle?

[canonloader]

Budget for sure. I just had to buy some new transportation. :(

Eventually, I would like to get the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L. But I think that may have to wait till I replace my old 400/5.6 that I was stupid enough to sell last year. :)

[daveyburt]

newbie here but maybe it helps...

i just got the 10-22 and have noticed that having a subject in the immediate foreground (like a foot from the lens) with a nice backdrop tends to make a nice pic.
-like our pal that suggested above -looking down a fence type of shot

and, i can see the benefit of stitching with a longer lens for distance.

either way, looks like you have it covered and i think you can get good shots without a midrange

have fun!

[wallybud]

Nice, yeah you kind of are lacking a mid range zoom/couple primes...what are you thinking about in the meantime?

Yeah I remember beginning of this year when I was trying SO hard to pick up a new 400 5.6 for birding but they were constantly sold out everywhere! because it was spring! make sure you pick that up early enough haha

[canonloader]

I was hoping to get one this winter, before the start of eagle season. I might be able to swing it. In the mean time, I will work around the lenses I have. I am doing a lot of surfing to see what others have done in relation to composition. The composition is really what it boils down to. What you can compose with the glass you have. :)

[madhatter04]

I'm headed to the Eastern Sierra to chase aspens the first weekend of October, taking the 40D, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and Canon 70-200 f/4L IS. I expect all of them will be useful depending on conditions.
I will be up there the exact same time. Please stay out of my shots ;)
Kidding. Which areas are you going to hit up?

[LindaB]

I was hoping to get one this winter, before the start of eagle season. I might be able to swing it. In the mean time, I will work around the lenses I have. I am doing a lot of surfing to see what others have done in relation to composition. The composition is really what it boils down to. What you can compose with the glass you have. :)

Hi Mitch

I dont know if this is of any help, but I have done the previous 2 years with my 70-200F4L and have a selection of the pics here:
http://www.pbase.com/lindabuckell/autumn_colour
Probably nothing like the views you are seeing over there, but thats the only lense, apart from the kit lense that I had to use.

In July of this year I bought the Canon 24-105 F4L IS USM with the view to doing a few more landscape type of shots so Im going to see how that goes this year - but I will always have my trusty 70-200 with me as I love the bokeh I get with it for leaf shots.

I have loads more on the pc that I never got round to putting in the gallery, but I reckon your 70-200 should be ok with your wide angle.

Linda

[canonloader]

Wow Linda, those are great. This is exactly what I needed to see. Now I have an idea of what to look for. I can't believe it, ours have hardly started to change yet. It's been in the 80's for the last 10 days, bar one. Unheard of for this time of year. We've had snow earlier than this before. :)

But now I have an idea of what to look for and where to look for it. I was coming around to the idea of using the 70-200 anyway, but this firms it up. Still, I have two bodies and two good lenses for this. ;)

[Just Be]

Shooting Mt. Rainier recently I was surprised that my UWA canon 10-22 on my Xti was way too wide and showed more than I wanted. I used my 24-105L and was very happy with it for wide landscapes.

The UWA lenses like the 10-22 seems to do better when I need to get into a tight place and shoot everything right in front of me in wide angle. Landscapes at a distance not so much.

This fall I'll be bring a 24-105L on one body and the 70-200 f4 IS on the other. I'll have the 10-22 in my bag but doubt I'll use it.

Have fun!

[LindaB]

Wow Linda, those are great. This is exactly what I needed to see. Now I have an idea of what to look for. I can't believe it, ours have hardly started to change yet. It's been in the 80's for the last 10 days, bar one. Unheard of for this time of year. We've had snow earlier than this before. :)

But now I have an idea of what to look for and where to look for it. I was coming around to the idea of using the 70-200 anyway, but this firms it up. Still, I have two bodies and two good lenses for this. ;)


Phew, Im glad they were something like you were looking for lol. I nearly posted it last night when I was reading your post but wasnt sure if it was the kind of thing you had in mind, so I am really pleased I did now.

Ours have started to change a bit and some are falling off, but I am waiting until I have the week off work from Monday 20 Oct to get to some of those places again, but if I see anything local during my lunch break then Ill take some beforehand.

Snow earlier than this!! Oh my god I would never survive a winter with early snow :lol: :lol: We have had plenty of rain and dull weather but 2 weeks of decent sun but chilly nights so this weekend should be nice with a bit of luck.

Looks like both of us might be posting some different kind of shots soon in the Landscape section lol - will be interesting to see how we both do :D

Linda

[LindaB]

Shooting Mt. Rainier recently I was surprised that my UWA canon 10-22 on my Xti was way too wide and showed more than I wanted. I used my 24-105L and was very happy with it for wide landscapes.

The UWA lenses like the 10-22 seems to do better when I need to get into a tight place and shoot everything right in front of me in wide angle. Landscapes at a distance not so much.

This fall I'll be bring a 24-105L on one body and the 70-200 f4 IS on the other. I'll have the 10-22 in my bag but doubt I'll use it.

Have fun!

Hi there :D oh good, Im glad to see someone post here that has used the 24-105 F4L for landscapes as this will be my first autumn using this one (and of course my 70-200 :D) - I just hope we get some decent colour and that I learn how to do landscapes with it lol.

Linda

[woodsters]

This all sounds like a good idea. I didn't have my Xti last year when the leaves changed. We are only 30 minutes from the mountains here. I've been wanting to do a Blue Ridge Parkway ride for a while. Think I might make plans one weekend to do it and take some good fall foliage pics...

[canonloader]

The UWA lenses like the 10-22 seems to do better when I need to get into a tight place and shoot everything right in front of me in wide angle. Landscapes at a distance not so much.
I have the Tokina 12-24 and it's the same way. But, it does do long shots too, but the trick is, you have to have the interesting stuff close in the foreground to focus on, then either a nice cloudbank or mountains in the background. I am trying to find a place like that with trees. :)

Phew, Im glad they were something like you were looking for lol.
Yes, that's just what I am looking for. Every one taught me something new, and that your a good photographer too. :)

[michaelnel]

Which areas are you going to hit up?

I'm riding my motorcycle up from SF Friday morning over Carson Pass, Hope Valley, Monitor Pass and staying at the Topaz Lodge at Lake Topaz. From there I will go south for Conway Summit, Dunderberg meadow, Virginia Lakes, Lundy Lakes. I have not visited many of those places before. Should be great fun!

I will be up there Friday through Monday and get as much in as I can.

What are your plans?

[LindaB]

Yes, that's just what I am looking for. Every one taught me something new, and that your a good photographer too. :)

Aww, thanks Mitch, that is so kind of you :D - you aint so bad yourself :lol: - wish I could do bird shots like you :D

Linda

[canonloader]

Birds I can do. Today, I went out and tried to shoot a few trees and failed miserably. I used the 70-200, but I think I was too far away. And I didn't use a tripod. I need to get closer and use a steady mount. Especially in early morning light. :)

[LindaB]

Birds I can do. Today, I went out and tried to shoot a few trees and failed miserably. I used the 70-200, but I think I was too far away. And I didn't use a tripod. I need to get closer and use a steady mount. Especially in early morning light. :)

Try some leaf shots first Mitch, that might give you a better feel for it. In early morning light, you shouldnt need to use a tripod if its decent early morning light. I never use a tripod, although I did experiment with a monopod 2 years ago when it was dull and that was ok but still prefer not to use anything.

I didnt get time again today for any pics, too many jobs beckoned lol.

Linda

[canonloader]

Here's a couple I got the other day. Not sure what went wrong, but they just don't look right.

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/hdr/trees/hdr-maple-tree-img_2704--092708.jpg

http://www.picturelacrosse.com/hdr/trees/hdr-maple-tree-img_2715--092708.jpg

[wallybud]

I think your getting too into the dynamic range thing, this isn't a scene that requires a lot of processing or a big expansion of the dynamic range, i would have metered for the sky then compensate like 2 1/2 stops or w.e (just to keep the blue and not come too close to blowing anything)...the shadows and trees can easily be brought back up to match the rest of the scene in PP

Was a polarizer used?

[canonloader]

I ran it through HDR for the shadows. In the bright sunlight, they were too deep. No CP, what you see is a side effect of an Ultra Wide Angle lens. Noticed it the first time I shot with it on the 1D. Deep rich blue skies and darker around the rim of the frame. Must be from the shape of the lens, packing more sunbeams into the outer edges. Built in CP. :)

[wallybud]

I ran it through HDR for the shadows. In the bright sunlight, they were too deep. No CP, what you see is a side effect of an Ultra Wide Angle lens. Noticed it the first time I shot with it on the 1D. Deep rich blue skies and darker around the rim of the frame. Must be from the shape of the lens, packing more sunbeams into the outer edges. Built in CP. :)

I figured ;)...What side effect of the UWA? Shape of the lens? Explain lol I am unfamiliar with this...and mitch mitch mitch why no CPL?! That would have solved your entire problem, even in the midday sun (obviously at a 45-90 degree :))

The CPl would have kept the sky a rich dark blue depending on how far you turned the ring, and then you could have pushed the exposure a little farther for less noise when you brought out the shadows...the shadows in ones you processed seem unreal as to me it feels like they would be much darker in the midday sun.

[LindaB]

Hi Mitch

I took some tree shots like that when I first did autumn colour in 2005 and although they look spectacular when you see them, it is so difficult to convey that in a photo - they usually end up just looking like a mug shot of a tree regardless of what fabulous colour they are. One way round this could be to get a unique angle on it.

I think you need to be seeing either a tight clump of trees all in colour and find a good angle on them, or get much closer and pick a branch or a few leaves and get them either with the bright blue sky behind them or an unusual angle or light/shadow falling on them.

Do you have any lakes near you wjhere you could get some reflection shots?

I do very little post processing and never do anything fancy in software, I just try and get what I am seeing as best I can and leave it that way - and I am still shooting in jpeg LOL

One thing I did do when I got my 24-105 in July and practiced at a small fair in our town, was metered on the blue sky (as suggested above) and the change in colour was amazing.


Linda

[canonloader]

Walt, check this thread out. You can see the CPL effect in these. When the lens is held level to the ground, you get the rich blues near the edge of the frame. On the lens, the curve of it all around the rim is such that it is picking up light from a greater portion of the sky than say at the center of the lens. It then defracts that light onto the sensor. The center area is less real estate overall than the outer edge all around the lens, therefore picking up less light, so, lighter in color. The outer edges of the glass, more real estate, picking up more light, but defracting it onto less real estate on the sensor. I don't claim to know the science of why the color is more saturated around the edges of the frame, but my explanation sounds logical to me. :)

Linda, mug shots of trees is what I got the other day. I am still looking for just the right spots to shoot from, although getting closer for parts of the tree will be no problem. And why does it seem like the best trees are in peoples back yards? :)

[Win]

I think Linda is right. A few years a go I shot a bunch of pictures but they were very uninteresting when I got them on the computer. Last Saturday I went out to shoot and I think tree groupings really helped out.

This was with a CPL and very little PP.

Win

http://www.fototime.com/E73D224B728A9BA/standard.jpg

[LindaB]

I think Linda is right. A few years a go I shot a bunch of pictures but they were very uninteresting when I got them on the computer. Last Saturday I went out to shoot and I think tree groupings really helped out.

This was with a CPL and very little PP.

Win



Yep, thats a lovely shot - I guess the thing to do is get either a group, landscape full of them, or just simple leaf/branch shots.

I am going to confess now to being really dim by asking what is a CPL? I just cant fathom out what it stands for (and am probably going to be really embarassed when you say what it is :lol: :lol:)

Linda

[Win]

Thanks, Linda. Circular Polarizer. :)

I did get some good shots of single trees in Zion a couple of years a go but the background was interesting, too.

Win

http://www.fototime.com/3FE1B6AD734EFA5/standard.jpg

[canonloader]

I can't believe it. I went out again today, looking for trees starting to change, and nothing. They are stuck at end of summer mode. Some have started turning brown, but most are just sitting there making sugar. Must be those 80 degree temps the last 10 out of 12 days. Should start popping now though, it's in the 40's at night now. ;)

[LindaB]

Thanks, Linda. Circular Polarizer. :)

I did get some good shots of single trees in Zion a couple of years a go but the background was interesting, too.

Win



Oh yes, now I see lol - that did occur to me but couldnt work out where the L came from :rolleyes: lol. Yes I think where you live and the really bright sunshine its worth using one.

Thats another lovely shot and I agree, the background does make it more interesting - Im not fortunate enough to have landscapes like that near me only on a holiday up to Scotland.

Mitch: Be patient my friend lol. Its only the start of October tomorrow, so its really over the next 3 weeks you should start to see some 'real' colour.


Linda

[canonloader]

Going down to 40 tonight. Watch, that will set it off and they will all change tomorrow. But, Barack Obama is going to be in town tomorrow and I want to see if I can get some pics of him. :)

[patlannon]

I juat took the dog out for a walk, and it started to rain. The temp is heading for 40 degrees tonight, this is a good combination to get the colors of the leaves to pop. Given that tomorrow turns out to be a fairly good day I'll try to find some color in the southern tier vallies. I'll take the 40D and the EF 28-200, he only thing I'm lacking is the CPL. Just called Ritz camera they have a 72mm Quantaray CPL in stock, $45.00+tax. Is that a good deal?

[canonloader]

Is that a good deal?
My advice is, don't waste the money. A CPL of that size should cost no less than $120. Digital sensors can't deal with cheap coated lenses. They need expensive multicoatings to render a proper image.

Check out this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=218003). It gives some examples and explains it in detail.

[patlannon]

Thanks for the info on the CPL.
Pat

[wallybud]

Hey Mitch, in northern NJ it has been 39-40 basically every night and it has rained all this last weekend and yesterday...The leaves up there are startinggg to turn but they are fighting it ;)

Im going camping up there Fri, Sat, Sun so from all the rain and cold maybe Ill come back with some nice color and flowing rivers :) Im really excited as the weather is suppose to be immaculate!

Ill get back at ya haha

[canonloader]

They are just starting to change here now after a few nights of cold. :)