Photographing autumnal landscapes – a beginner’s guide

1. Make the most of moody weather

While bright, clear skies might seem like the easier option, I often find it’s moodier conditions, with clouds, mist and fog, that create the best photographs. Woodland foliage also becomes much more vibrant when it’s wet from rain. Always bring your lens hood to keep water droplets off the front of your lens, as it makes it much easier to keep it clean and clear while you’re out photographing.

2. Choose kit that keeps your options open

My NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S is my go-to lens for autumn woodland photography as its versatile focal range gives me plenty of flexibility. But for beginners, the NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR is also an excellent option. My Nikon Z8 is my workhorse, but I also love the Nikon Z7II, Zf and Z6III, which is particularly good for woodland photography because of its very low noise.

3. Choose Cloudy for consistency 

I set my White Balance to ‘Cloudy’ for all photos. That way, everything starts from the same setting, and I can always change it afterwards, as long as I’m photographing in RAW rather than JPEG.

4. Start with a low ISO to keep images clean

Find out your camera’s base ISO and photograph at that. You’ll get better dynamic range, meaning a greater range of tones from bright to dark in a single image, and you’ll also have less noise in your photograph. The more noise you have, the more grainy your photograph can look.

Be in the know: the Nikon Zf, Z30, Z50II, Z5II, Z5IIC and Z6III have a base ISO of 100. The Nikon Z7II, Z8 and Z9 have a base ISO of 64.

5. Begin with this tried and tested settings recipe

Start by finding a dominant tree and compose your image. Next set your aperture to f/10 and ISO to base (100 or 64), then focus on the shutter speed. You can adjust it manually while keeping an eye on the histogram, or switch to Aperture Priority, and let the camera work out the shutter speed for you. To focus, I use AF-S rather than AF-C and, with Touch shutter/touch AF enabled, I just tap the screen, the camera focuses and then it takes the shot. It’s super easy.

6. Keep scenes steady with a tripod 

With darkening skies, you’ll need a longer shutter speed, and a tripod gives you the stability to do just that. It also allows you to slow down and compose with purpose. Also, try getting down low, as changing your viewpoint can completely transform the whole look of a woodland.

7. Less scene, more detail

Often with landscapes, people tend to include a bit of everything: sky, grass and trees. But sometimes it’s best to simplify the composition and be more purposeful. Don’t forget the smaller things: lilies in a pond, multicoloured leaves, water droplets or foliage on the ground. Not every photo needs to include the sky.

8. Cut the glare, boost the colour

A polarising filter adds saturation to colours. It works especially well when the foliage is wet as it reduces reflection on the leaves. It's not something you'll always need to use, but experiment to see how it affects the look and feel of a photograph.

9. Let the water flow with long exposures 

If you are visiting waterfalls, have a go at long exposure photography, using a slower shutter speed to blur the movement of the water. Find a composition you like, then experiment with different shutter speeds. Keep your ISO low, and if it’s too bright to achieve the shutter speed you want, try using an ND filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. For best results, use a tripod and set a two-second self-timer to help avoid any vibration when you press the shutter, or fire the shutter remotely using a wireless remote or Nikon’s SnapBridge app.

10. Easy does it in editing 

Don’t go overboard with saturation as it can quickly start to look unrealistic. Fog and mist naturally soften contrast, so very deep blacks can work against that atmospheric feel. A lot of beginners increase the contrast in post-production, but I don’t recommend this. Instead, in Adobe Lightroom, push the Blacks slider to the right to lift the darkest tones. This gives it a softer, ‘painterly’ feel.