Fall in the Foothills! 

It. Is. Spectacular! 

I wait for autumn. I LOVE autumn! 
I eagerly wait for it all year long. No more hazy summer skies and muddled, dull colours. With fall comes chocolaty auburn, deep golds, the occasional bright reds.

Though some of us may think of autumn somewhat sullenly, (especially this year) with the slow drain of life from lands once heaving with green, autumn is actually quite a vibrant transition, providing us with beautifully unique photo opportunities.

To help you capture all that this stunning season has to offer, we’ve put together a thorough list of our best autumn photography tips, along with the help of local photographer, Dana Pugh. (find out more info on her HERE) Here are a few tips and some perfect autumnal places to get your creative juices flowing! 

 

#1 Photograph during the Golden Hour

The first tip isn’t only applicable in autumn. In fact, it’s valuable advice for landscape photography in general: take advantage of the Golden Hour.

The landscape lights up when the sun is at a low position during the hours around sunrise and sunset, which results in a picturesque soft glow. This often gives a beautiful ‘pop’ to the vibrant autumn colours and can dramatically enhance the atmosphere. Like Dana mentioned. Alberta has an amazing "Golden Hour"

 

#2 Fog and overcast days can be just as good

Autumn isn’t a season where you can expect sunshine every day.
Days are getting shorter and the weather is changing quickly, which normally means a lot of rain, fog and gray days.

It might make you want to curl up in front of the TV with a cup of tea but I urge you to get outside! This changing weather can lead to some amazing moments behind the camera. It’s also part of what’s special about this time of year, so why not photograph it?

 

#3 HAVE FUN!

A static, posed photo is always great BUT like Dana said... Have fun with it!!
Candid photography is a great way to show the personalities of the people in the pictures and capture fleeting moments that posed photography can’t always show off.

 

#4 Bring Your Pets! 

Pet photography is a lot of fun during autumn!
Dogs, cats, rabbits.. try to place them on a street covered with leaves. Let them play, run and pose for you! The results will be amazing. You can use a lens with nice bokeh (the blurry effect on your phone) to enhance the importance of your furry subject amongst the autumn leaves.

 

#5 Find Water! 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a tiny stream or the Sheep River, a small pond up in Drake Landing or the lake. Water can always offer incredible photographic opportunities. This includes the chance to capture reflections and to practice long exposures. Best of all, water can help you to find a meaningful composition which can be difficult in the “autumn mess” of conditions.

Thanks to HTO Photography for the amazing photo!

I asked the team where they think the best places are in Okotoks to take fall photos... 

Ben - "The river for sure or any of the farmer's fields just outside of town"

Shayne - "Sheep River Park cuz trees" 

Harrison - "The main bridge here, Laurie Boyd... That one!"

Natasha - "Woodhaven pathways because of the height over the town... and the trees" 

As for Dana:

Where do YOU take your fall photos? Comment on our Facebook or Instagram!

Happy Shooting! 

~Logan