I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon photographing the fall foliage with Jo-Ann and Anthony Campagiorni on Sunday. They were kind enough to bid on an outing with me in order to raise funds for St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital.
We had a perfect day – sunny, warm and the foliage at or close to peak color. We talked about a lot of photographic concepts and I had decided prior to our meeting that I wanted to leave them with a few "take-home points."
First one: "what are you trying to say?" The challenge of photography, and really of any creative endeavor, is to distill a personal experience into an evocative (or provocative) final product using the medium you've chosen. Will the image you've framed in your viewfinder deliver that experience to the viewer?
Second tip: for the optimal color, photograph the fall foliage with the light behind the leaves in order to achieve a glowing backlight effect.
And, finally, pay close attention to the edges and corners of the frame. This is where I find it very helpful to use a tripod – it's easier to examine closely how I've framed an image and then make subtle but telling adjustments.