Ultimate Photography Time

For many photographers, autumn, with its rainy days and grey skies, is the ultimate time for photography. And don't get me wrong, I can really appreciate the beauty of nature, and the opportunities for beautiful photos too, but I have come to hate the cold and rain. Still, if I'm sincere, this is indeed the most beautiful photography season of the year. Now I hear you thinking, "Rain? Grey skies? Why would that be attractive for photography?" I will do my best to explain to you why this time of year is not all bad, drizzly, and gloomy. It can also be beautiful and offer unique opportunities to take photos that you simply can't capture in other seasons. You just have to get out there.

Autumn is of course known for its colorful leaves, and yes, they are beautiful, but I don't want to talk about that now. The leaves have only just started to change color. To achieve the maximum effect, I have to wait a bit longer. But other photo moments are already presenting themselves.

Rain and Gray Skies

Well, rain and gray skies. While I certainly belong to the group of people who experience such cloudy and often rainy days as gloomy, I also know that they have something special to offer for photography. And that I should force myself to go outside with the camera on those days. The diffuse, soft lighting that you get on a cloudy day is truly a blessing for photographers. You don't have to worry about harsh shadows or overexposed highlights. Everything has a soft, even glow, and the colors seem more intense.

Rain offers another dimension for photographers. Besides the soft diffuse light, you get another gift that you normally can't capture. Rain changes the world. Have you ever looked closely at a simple street when it rains? The shine that comes over it with the lights reflecting off it can suddenly transform even the street you see every day of your life into a street that seems to come straight out of a fairy tale. The leaves glisten on the ground, and even the air seems fresher in a certain way. Rain provides beautiful reflections, and in autumn there is more chance of that than in other seasons. Of course, you don't see the colors that go with it at any other time of the year. Even the puddles can suddenly be beautiful when they change into a, sometimes slightly moving, mirror. On the one hand, I still think it is NOT my favorite season of the year. But if you want to take photos that have a melancholic look, and capture the atmosphere of autumn. Well, then the autumnal rain is really what you are looking for.

Now I am not a person who likes rain unless I am lying warm in bed. Then the sound of the rain tapping on the window is cozy. Okay, there are more moments when you crawl on the couch under a blanket with candlelight around you it is also cozy. And I admit it when I'm walking in the woods with my camera, a dog with me that doesn't care about the rain, well... then it's suddenly not so bad anymore.

The Magic of Mist

The typical autumn thing that I do love is the mist! You know, that thick gray mist that hangs over the fields and forests early in the morning. Sometimes it's a thick blanket that you can't see through, but on the brighter days, it's a mist that seems to dance over the fields and between the trees. At these moments, even the most mundane scenes take on a magical appearance.

Mist and fog are great for creating layers in your photos. You can play with the depth of the landscape and subtly make details disappear into the background.

The Stars of Autumn

Of course, you also see mushrooms at this time of year. They pop up everywhere as soon as it gets colder and wetter. Mushrooms come in all shapes, colors, types and sizes. But this blog is not about mushrooms. What I can tell you is that mushrooms are usually hidden, and often they are so small that you can't even see them without a lens with a decent magnification factor. Under leaves, on tree stumps, they can be found everywhere. Mushrooms are fungi ... that's the thing to remember when you go looking for them. And you need a portion of patience. I haven't taken the perfect photo yet, but if you have the patience to train your eye to find the details that others just walk past, then you will probably succeed.

Cold, Chilly Skies

I'm not a big fan of lying on the cold, wet ground for mushrooms. I usually have a dog with me, who also doesn't have that patience, that's not so handy either. So I usually pay more attention to the skies. In the fall, you never really see the vibrant blue that you see in the summer. It's more of a steel gray, and sometimes you're lucky enough to get dark, threatening clouds as a gift. You do have to pay attention then because those clouds can break open at any moment in a pouring shower. Although such a pouring shower is usually not what you're hoping for, the sky is a gift for your photos.

And precisely because it often feels cold, chilly, and damp, most people are less inclined to go outside. As a photographer, that's just nice. It often means that you're often alone. No crowds in the areas you want to photograph to disrupt your image. It's often the case that you're alone there with your camera. And that loneliness that you experience in the fall does give you the space to search in silence for that one perfect shot.

Embrace Autumn

Of course, you can wait for those sunny autumn days to go out. There are plenty of opportunities for that too. But autumn has much more to offer than just colorful leaves. Rain, gray skies, fog, mushrooms. It's all part of it. It is the most changeable season of the year, and those changes in this season can provide surprises and opportunities for beautiful photography. Although I keep saying that it is not my favorite season, I am even happier with my dog ​​in autumn than in other seasons. Because I have my dog, I am forced to go out every day. And because I have to go into the woods with the dog every day, I am forced to keep my eyes open and thus also see the beauty of autumn. Now I just have to convince myself to take the camera with me more often.