Autumn & Winter Photography 


All Weather Photography

Since we live in Scotland, we have to be prepared to take our cameras out in weather that is, 'Less than Ideal'. on really wet days, I have resorted to running the car window down and taking the shot from inside the car. Most times, however, it is a case of dressing warmly and finding subjects that suit cloudy, overcast weather.

The above image makes a rather dark, gloomy picture, but, in my opinion, this creates the drama of this bleak countryside. To me it says, this is Scotland!

Both the above images were taken on the same day in October 2018. The top one in Glendevon, in the morning and the lower one at Craigmohr in the late afternoon. I think that it shows clearly why we should go out, even on grey days because the lower image also says, 'This is Scotland'.

Planning your shoot is very important in the autumn and winter for a couple of reasons.

  1. You must have the correct clothes and footwear for the terrain and weather that you will be shooting in.
  2.  Decide on the subject that you want to concentrate on. There is no point on lugging a three kilo 600mm wildlife lens with you, if you are going to find different types of mushrooms on the forest floor.

There will always be the chance that your equipment will get wet, so the more streamlined you are with what you take, the less you will have to dry and clean when you get home.

 

 

What Subjects?

Finding something to take photos of in autumn and winter is actually easier than one would think. Every image should create a feeling inside the photographer, whether this evokes a memory such as the image of Craigmohr does for me; it reminds me of being there many years ago with my parents, or just a response, such as the mushroom; I found it amusing because it looked like a gnome with a big pointy hat. If you don't get a response to the subject, you will still  get a good photo, but if you do, you will get a photo that means something to you and will therefor be a great photo, in your eyes. How does this make it easy to find subjects? Initially, simply find subjects that bring back good memories of autumn and winter, then expand to objects or colours that evoke a response in you.

Here is my list of subjects for this time of year.  


Subjects List (No particular Order)

  • Autumn Leaves
  • Forest Floor
  • Sunsets
  • Water
  • Drama in the Sky
  • Bleak Mountain Scenes
  • Windy Weather
  • Geese Flying South
  • Snow Scenes in Winter
  • Frozen Ponds and Rivers
  • Icicles
  • Spider's Webs
  • People in the Wind
  • Rain and Snow Falling

There are many other subjects, but all of the above evoke some type of response in me. Each person will have there own.

Something that a friend of mine does. He has set up bird feeders in his garden, in positions where he can photograph them from a window. He gets some great shots without moving from the house. He has also planted bushes and trees that have berries which also attract birds throughout the autumn and winter.

In November fireworks displays are a great place to take photos. The trick is to get there early, find out where the display is going to be set off from and pick a suitable vantage point where you can set up your tripod as these will all be long exposure shots. My settings are around 4 seconds at f4.0 or f5.0, ISO 500 to 640 with a 28mm lens length.

Go out and enjoy Autumn and Winter Photography.

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