PROBLEM

You headed out on a bright, sunny afternoon to catch the fall color, and the photos came back harsh: hot glare on the leaves, dark shadows underneath, and colors that look flat.

FIX

Go in the first or last hour of sunlight, when the sun is low. Then walk around until the sun is behind the leaves. Backlit leaves glow like stained glass.

PRACTICE IT

This week, go out in the hour before sunset. Find a tree with good color and the sun behind it, plus something close to you in the frame: a fence post, a rock, a path. Set Aperture Priority at f/11 and focus about a third of the way into the scene. Take a frame every 10 minutes until the sun goes down. Which one glows the most?

DOUG’S TIP

It’s about the sun
Hide the sun behind a trunk or a thick branch. You keep the glow in the leaves without the sun blowing out a hole in the sky or throwing flare across your photo.

Do you have a circular polarizer? Use it when the sun is off to your side. Turn it until the glare on the leaves disappears. Not sure what one is? I'll cover it in a future video.