How to Take Beautiful Autumn Photos in 15 Minutes

Photography Tips

With autumn in full bloom, now is the perfect time to go out and capture those fall colors. In this video, we see it’s possible to capture a diverse range of shots—in just 15 minutes:

The video comes from Gavin Hoey, whose goal is to shoot exclusively with an Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark II and Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro and grab a variety of shots within just 15 minutes. Along the way, he provides a number of handy tips.

These include seeking out panoramas…

…close-ups…

…reflections…

…and complementary backgrounds.

“I’m looking at the background all the time. What’s the background like? Is the background complementary? Is it the same color, a different color, or is it just blown-out white?”

For his last shot, he asks someone to step into the frame to add some context and a different atmosphere. His result looks good:

But Hoey wants a more autumn-y look than that, feeling the colors are too green. In the second half of the video, he shows us how to enhance your shot’s seasonal colors using Photoshop.

His final result looks much more artificial and whimsical, but it’s closer to the concept he had in mind. He adds in some light strokes to pass through the trees, turns the green leaves a more yellowish hue and enhances the red ones at the top.

Ultimately, the point of the video is to show you all the possibilities of shooting with a reasonably diverse lens—even in only 15 minutes. Shoot smart, shoot quickly, and position yourself well against the light. With a little bit of post-production, you can create a beautiful portfolio in barely any time at all.