I just took a drive up 285 and the colors are still in full effect here in Colorado. Get out there before the freeze comes, armed with this great advice from our friends at Tamron! – Blog Master
Fall provides us the opportunity to capture stunning landscapes with bold colors, but only for a short period of time. We have asked Tamron Pro Ambassador Alyce Bender to share some of her top tips for photographing fall foliage.
To see more of Alyce Bender’s work, visit her website by clicking here.
Tip #1. My number one tip when photographing fall foliage is to use a polarizing filter. Not only does it take glare off water and wet objects, but it helps to cut the glare on shiny foliage leaving you with more saturated and defined colors—the reason for the season if you will.
Tip #2. Make sure to pack a telephoto lens when leaf peeping in mountainous regions. The extra reach will allow you to craft intimate landscapes filled with texture, patters, and/or color.
Tip #3. Slow down and be sure to take in all the details around you this time of year. Use midday, when the light is brightest, to explore under the canopy and capture details of the forest set against a colorful backdrop of leaves.
Tip #4. Take the opportunity when working around bodies of water to create abstract or impressionistic images by using creative long exposures and a telephoto length to capture the fall foliage reflecting on the water. This would be one time when a polarizer would not be used as it would cut the reflections.
Tip #5. Revisit those grand and iconic landscapes so frequently captured during spring or summer to see how Nature dresses them in autumn. With sunrise getting later as winter approaches, take advantage of being able to photograph sunrise without losing as much sleep-in order to create images chock full of color from fore to background.
Tip #6. For those wildlife shooters out there, be sure to use the autumn foliage to add a seasonal element to your image. It will help your viewers cue in on what time of year your subject was photographed or when the behavior captured was observed.
The best Tamron lenses for capturing fall foliage
From standard zooms to wide-angle zooms to prime lenses, there are Tamron lenses for every occasion. For capturing fall foliage, we recommend the 28-200mm for Sony full-frame mirrorless, 18-400mm for Canon and Nikon Cameras and 17-70mm lens for Sony E Mount. They offer great versatility as well as remarkable close-up capabilities.
28–200mm f/2.8–5.6 Di III RXD for Sony full-frame mirrorless
The 28–200mm lens is the first all-in-one zoom starting at f/2.8. It delivers high-level performance across the entire zoom range, from the wide-angle end to telephoto. The compact size and light weight make it easy to travel with and the Moisture-Resistant Construction offers added protection.
18–400mm f/3.5–6.3 Di II VC HLD for Canon and Nikon
The 18–400mm lens is the world’s only ultra-telephoto all-in-one zoom lens for APS-C DSLR format. The lens brings subjects in the distance much closer while also providing prospective-flattening effects that can only be achieved with an extreme telephoto lens. Additionally, the lens offers exceptional performance across the entire zoom range—from telephoto to wide-angle—and has Moisture-Resistant Construction with seals around the lens mount. Tamron offers all-in-one zooms for all formats like the new 28–200mm f/2.8–5.6 Di III RXD for full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras, and the just announced 18–300mm f/3.5–6.3 Di III-A VC VXD for APS-C Sony and Fujifilm X mounts.
17–70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD for Sony APS-C Mirrorless
The 17-70mm for APS-C Sony mirrorless cameras was created with the intention of achieving a broad zoom range with impressive quality. It’s fast, sharp, quiet, and small, making it one of the most versatile Tamron lenses. Its compact size and versatility make it an excellent lens to use for travel photography. On top of that, video image stabilization is improved when compared to conventional models and the lens has Moisture-Resistant Construction to prevent water damage, giving you piece of mind when shooting in inclement weather. Tamron offers a fast standard zoom for every format. The SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 for DLRs and the 28–75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 for full-frame Sony mirrorless round out the category. And if you are looking for more range with high-speed, the 35–150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD is a great choice for DSLR shooters.