Each year I await summer’s end and the beginning of our most colorful season. The red, orange, and gold confetti leaves of autumn flutter through the air and cover the landscape. But memories can’t replace the real thing, and so I’m eager to capture each year’s showy exhibit.

When I go out to photograph autumn’s colorful display, I’m prepared to capture both landscape and close-up images. I shoot with Canon equipment, from digital SLRs to a handy G10 compact camera. A tripod is a must and a shutter release or timer is helpful. Although I have a variety of lenses, my preference is a high quality multipurpose zoom which provides wide angle to tele-photo coverage. It lightens my backpack and makes scrambling up and down hills a little easier.

Another must-have is a polarizing filter that cuts reflections on leaves and other shiny or wet surfaces, darkens blue skies, and helps eliminate atmospheric haze. Regular and graduated neutral density filters can help minimize the tonal range between sky and land as well as allow a lower shutter speed to slow moving water. Other items in my pack include extra “film” cards and batteries, a diffuser, and extension tubes for close-up work.

Equipment is important, but quality of light is absolutely critical to capture successful images. I like to get out early in the day in order to capture dawn’s magical glow within that first hour. Overcast and rainy weather are my favorite times though. Cloud cover and even shade diffuse the light and enrich nature’s hues. It naturally limits the dynamic or tonal range that can create hot spots or deep shadows, and allows for more detail. Rain renders smashing, saturated colors, tree trunks pop with enhanced texture, rocks glow, and trails turn a deeper brown. It clears the atmosphere and adds an extra sparkle to the image. I experiment with the polarizer to get just the right amount of sheen. In this weather I shoot tighter, more intimate landscapes with little or no sky (gray is boring).

Clear, blue-sky days can produce lovely, broader landscape images. I like side lighting and use the polarizer to control reflections and saturate the sky. I check images on the spot, using the camera’s histogram to determine accuracy of exposure. When I get home and review the images, I’m always glad I did.

Susanna Euston, photographer and writer, is a member of the f/32 photography group. Her work is available on her website at naturalexpressionsonline.com.

The f/32 Photography Group meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Reuters Center on the UNCA campus at 6:30 p.m. The diverse individuals of Western North Carolina who are members of the group known as f/32 are young and old, professionals and amateurs. The common bond is a mutual love of photography and what it can show us about our world. Find out more at f32nc.com.