WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE BOUCHARD
Northeast Harbor-based photographer Jack Ledbetter was driving in his truck through Acadia National Park one fall day looking for fall foliage photo opportunities when the proverbial call of nature hit. Standing in the woods some 50 feet off the road, “I looked at the ground and it was just glowing orange,” he said. “I looked up and it was just like stained glass. I mean, it was just unbelievable.”
As Ledbetter’s experience demonstrates, in the fall in Maine, the opportunities for foliage photos are everywhere and that amazing image you’ve hoped to get can happen at any time. How do you make the photographic most of the short window of time before the leaves are gone and winter arrives? We’ve got some tips for you.
Get some distance.
When Ledbetter was trying to figure out how to take good fall foliage photos after he moved to the Acadia region in the 1980s, he’d borrow a canoe and paddle along the edges of ponds, looking at the trees from a distance so he could find ones that really captured his attention. Once he had some options picked out, he would go ashore, stow the canoe, and find a higher vantage point.
“You had the water as a background for the foliage, and if you could do it on overcast days, it was really quite pretty,” he said.
You don’t have to get into a boat to create distance. Instead, find an area that’s open to panoramic views. Look for pullouts along the road that offer scenic views. There are many of these in Acadia National Park, but you can find such spots, even if not specifically designated, all over the state.
Be aware of the environment.
Look around when you’re out and about throughout the year.
“I just make a mental note and I go back to the places that I thought would be interesting,” Ledbetter said.
Know, also, the color timeline as foliage peaks throughout the state. But if you miss out on peak color, don’t despair, he said. “Just because it’s not in its peak doesn’t mean you can’t find something.”
Put your expectations aside.
“One of the big things I observed is that people go out and try to take pictures and they shouldn’t do that,” said Vincent Versace, a photographer co-leading the Colors of Fall photography workshop at Maine Media Workshops in Rockport in October.
Instead of that goal-centered mindset, he said, “Go out for the experience of it; have a camera with you and if it looks cool, take a picture of it. That’s the secret to fall color.”
Think beyond sunny days.
“If it’s an overcast day, you’ve been given a gift,” Versace said. “You do not need a bright, sunny day.”
The best times to take fall foliage photos are in the morning or evening or when it’s overcast or foggy, he said, because the light is softer. Bright light results in too much contrast.
Look beyond the trees.
“Everybody goes out looking at the trees for the leaves,” Versace said, but there’s so much more than just colorful trees to photograph. Notice the colors of other plant life, such as the brilliant reds of blueberry bushes, the different light in crisper air, or the patterns made by leaves on the ground, in the water, or even on everyday objects.
Don’t forget the essentials.
If you’re photographing with a digital camera, make sure to bring extra batteries and extra removable storage cards, Versace said. If you’re using your cell phone, make sure you have a charged power bank on hand.
“Nothing is worse than having your battery crap out in the middle of something really, really cool,” he said.
