As the air turns cooler, the countryside is ablaze in all its splendid autumn colors. This is a prime time to grab your camera and head outdoors and capture the beauty around you. While some photographers take road trips and discover new sites far from home, not everyone can take time away from their hectic schedules. A Sunday drive with the family can be a very enjoyable event for everyone. Staying close to home also has some other advantages. By scouting out nearby trees that will look fantastic in a week or two, you’ll be able to return when the leaves are at their prime and at the best time of day for lighting conditions.

As soon as the sun breaks through the clouds and slices through leaves illuminating them in all their glory, start taking photos. Sometimes the colors look best when backlit, with sunlight bringing the translucent leaves to life. Other times, side- or front-lighting works best. So walk around your subject and try to find the most attractive angle. Singling out a few leaves or an apple or two makes for some great close-ups. Not every image will be an award winner, but hey, that’s okay. Most people don’t know that for every 100 shots a pro takes, there are maybe one or two which are usable.

Some tools of the trade which will help are a tripod and cable release along with a few filters. Although you may be able to hand-hold your camera, using a tripod or monopod along with a cable release or wireless trigger will stop that ever-so-slight movement that will degrade your images as they are enlarged.

A circular polarizing filter increases the richness of colors by removing reflections and glare. Taking the circular polarizer one step further is Moose’s Filter from Hoya. Named after renowned outdoor photographer, B. “Moose” Peterson, this filter combines a warming filter with a circular polarizer. This filter removes reflections and adds saturation to the colors, while warming the color tone slightly.

Another popular filter is the Hoya Warm Intensifier. This filter intensifies the saturation of reds and oranges, many times making the color more intense than it actually is. This filter is particularly helpful when photographing fall colors.

If using a digital camera, the clarity of the image will be greatest if it’s recorded in the highest resolution possible. Taking the image in a TIFF or RAW mode rather than in JPEG will assure you that no information is discarded when the camera captures the image. It does take much more memory, but the benefits will be dramatically seen as the image is enlarged.

The time of the day is also important. Early in the day or later in the afternoon are your best times because the angled lighting brings out shape and texture. Remember, the days are shorter this time of the year, so three or four o’clock in the afternoon will be late enough.

So, pack a lunch and go out with the family for a drive. Now is an excellent time to get that much needed family portrait for the upcoming holiday cards to send to family members, plus spend quality time with your family and get great fall foliage photos in one afternoon. Now that’s multi-tasking at its finest.