Picture perfect
he splendor of autumn lends itself to plenty of photographic opportunities. Keep these tips in mind when capturing the beauty of fall:
n The best light is in the mornings and evening. Direct sunlight in the middle of the day gives overly harsh, high contrast images.
n Look for color contrasts, such as bright red trees against an evergreen background.
n Use a telephoto lens to pick out detail in the landscape as well as wide angle lenses when there is a lot of color.
n If the sky is grey and overcast, you can still get good foliage shots, but you may want to minimize the amount of sky you show. Zoom in on the trees and save the sky shots for days with clear blue skies.
n If your camera allows you to adjust saturation, you might want to increase it slightly to make colors richer.
Where to go
n The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources maintains a website that includes pages for the Bureau of Forestry and offers more insight on local forests as well as a weekly foliage report that is updated every Tuesday. The website, www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry, also offers downloadable maps. There are also pages for state parks at www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks, where you can find a park and activities.
n To plan a fall drive, visit the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau website at www.laurelhighlands.org for routes around western Pennsylvania and other activities.