It’s that time of year again, as summer is slowly fading away, the temperature is getting cooler and the leaves are slowly changing colors. This time of year offers some of the most beautiful scenery and epic road trips. So here are a few quick tips on taking fall photos.

Know the colors

Knowing the color of the leaves is the most important part. The good news is that both Wisconsin and Minnesota offer online portals to tell you what color each region of the state is. Pay attention to this as it is updated frequently and the colors are changing constantly. So If you’re having formal pictures taken consider scouting out the location a day before or so, to make sure the colors are at their best.

Know when Golden hour is

Golden hour is the best time of the day for photos because the sun is low enough and making the sky glow that it won’t make your photos overexposed. So unlike the colors of the leaves, the sun is very predictable. Pay attention to when the sunsets by checking your local weather and making sure you leave yourself enough time before the golden hour to set up for your photos.

Use the sun as a backlight

A lot of the photos you probably like online are using this technique, and fall the best time to do it. You get the really dreamy illumination of the leaves in the background and also able to light the subject really well. We prefer to block the sun with the subject and get the background more in focus or keep it slightly out of the frame and get a nice lens flare.

Dress for the day

As the temperature is getting cooler making sure you have the appropriate clothing for your shoot is very important. Facial expressions and your overall body language is very important in making a great photo. So if you think you will be too cold for the weather, as the sun will be setting, dress a little warmer with a nice sweater. When picking out your clothes think neutral colors. You’re not having photos taken in the fall time for your wardrobe to have a competition with your surroundings.

We hope these tips help you in creating your perfect version of a fall photo. If you’re looking for someone to take photos for you we would be honored to do that for you. Please send us an email at hello@smalltownseekers.com or fill out the form on our website.

We want to know what your favorite time of the year is, do you enjoy the fall? Or do you have another season that you like better? Leave a comment or even a picture below.