Every year for the past 25 or so years I've taken a day or two and just wandered around with my camera in search of the "perfect" fall foliage picture. The past several years I've been joined by my sister in this quest. We pick a day and play hookie from work and takeoff looking for this elusive image. After all this traveling in the Adirondacks, Vermont, the Berkshires the best images I've ever taken have been right in this area, especially in Washington and Saratoga counties.
The most important factor is the lighting. I've learned to avoid bright sunny days. The lighting is too contrasty. A sunny day may seem to be ideal as the colors seem brighter, but to a camera's digital sensor or to film... that bright sun also creates contrasty shadows that cannot be captured as your eye sees it. The best lighting is a cloudy day which creates very soft lighting and shadows. Last October I shot a series of images on a foggy overcast morning in Spa State park that were amazing. Early morning or late afternoon is the best time of day to shoot. The lighting seems to glow at that time of day. These images were actually shot on a drizzly day. I like to use a wide angle lens (18mm) and a tripod. This gives me the sharpest images. The wide angle lens gives me the depth of field needed to have everything from a few feet in front of me to the horizon in focus. I also use the slowest ASA film speed or digital speed. This eliminates grain in the images. Avoid 400ASA and higher. So grab your camera and take a ride next fall. You might just find that perfect picture.
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