How to shoot the fresh and bright texture of maple leaves in rainy days

Lead: Mastering the light is a key point in shooting maple leaves. The above-mentioned forward light, backward light and oblique light basically belong to the category of direct light, which has clear directionality, can show the light and dark parts in the picture, easily form a contrast between light and dark, and create a three-dimensional and layered sense of maple leaves. Moreover, the colors under direct light are more vivid, which can bring a bright and pleasant visual experience to viewers, which is why photographers always look forward to sunny days.

How to shoot the fresh and bright texture of maple leaves in rainy days? When shooting on a sunny day, there is a blue sky as a foil, which is more conducive to the display of maple red, and there is also a chance to present a different image artistic conception with the common cirrocumulus and cirrus clouds in autumn as the background. Don't be discouraged if you encounter unsatisfactory weather conditions. As long as you feel the feelings brought by the current environment with your heart, you can also shoot works with a unique "maple" feeling. Different from the direct light on sunny days, the diffuse light on rainy days can't see the directionality clearly, and the clouds are like super-large soft masks. After the sunlight penetrates, it spreads around us, so the boundary between the bright part and the dark part of the scene is smooth, naturally there is no charming light and shadow effect, and the color is slightly dull and gloomy.

▲ Direct light on sunny days not only helps to create a picture level, but also brings a bright and pleasant visual experience. Photography: HIGRACE.

▲ Cloudy days can show the soft side of maple leaves. Photography: Sun.

Use of C-PL polarizer

Polarizer is a very practical auxiliary accessory when hunting maple in sunny days. Pay special attention to the position of the sun when using it. When shooting, it is best to make the camera form a 90-degree angle with the sun, otherwise the effect of the polarizer will be greatly reduced. When viewing the observation window, turn the ring around the polarizer. When the color or brightness of the scene changes, it is the best time to press the shutter.

If you want to present the soft side of maple leaves, you still need cloudy weather. There is no hard-to-adjust light and Gao Fancha in sunny days, which is suitable for expressing the characteristics of beautiful and soft scenery. In addition, as long as the metering and exposure compensation are used well, when shooting maple leaves based on the sky, you can also shoot the fresh and translucent texture of maple leaves on cloudy days, because you don't have to worry about the colors and details of the sky.

▲ On cloudy days, in addition to increasing exposure compensation to increase the light-transmitting texture of maple leaves, maple leaves can also have a more exciting performance through post-processing.

Photography: Lin Jiaxing.

As for rainy days, the surface of maple leaves becomes smooth because of rain, and because dust is washed away, the color of maple leaves can be more saturated and bright, showing another vivid feeling. In addition, the water droplets left on the leaves are also a good framing theme, adding different elements to the picture. When the weather is bad, it is often a disadvantage in the performance of color and three-dimensional sense. Maybe we can try different expression techniques to make the image catch the viewer's eye, such as changing the color of the picture or applying filter effect. How to present the most appropriate? It depends on your creativity and originality.

▲ Maple leaves are moistened by rain, bringing another fresh feeling. Photography: Lin Jiaxing.

▲ The maple leaves on cloudy days are soft and easy to create a bleak feeling in autumn and winter. Photography: Sun.

Fuselage setting

The color of maple leaves on cloudy days is not as good as that on sunny days. It is feasible to adjust the saturation and hue by applying the photo style built into the fuselage, but if the color is too bright, the details of the maple leaf may be lost. Therefore, it is recommended to shoot RAW files, post-produce, and control the adjustment by yourself to avoid adverse effects.

▲ Canon body settings.

Try a different white balance.

I believe that most people use automatic white balance as the shooting setting, which is the fastest and most convenient way to faithfully present the image tone. However, I suggest that you can try other white balance settings to get different image fun, especially in bad weather, so that you have a chance to present different image effects.

▲ Automatic.

▲ daylight.

▲ incandescent lamp.