Fall Photography to Inspire Your Next Adventure + Tips

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Fall is short. Brutally short. One week it’s 90 degrees of “bonus summer,” the next you’re crunching through bare branches wondering what happened.

That’s why fall photography feels like a high-stakes game: blink and you miss it. But nail it? You’ve bottled lightning.

I’ve spent the last few years in my RV chasing the best fall colors in the west. Those adventures taught me what works, what doesn’t, and how to come home with photos that actually feel like fall bottled in a frame.

Ready? Let’s dive in. Mermaid mode activated. 🧜‍♀️

Why Fall Photography Is Your Best Friend

You can shoot landscapes any time of year. But fall? Fall turns normal scenes into art.

The lighting is different

Summer light is harsh. Winter light is flat. Fall is that perfect in-between… softer skies, golden hours that last longer, sunsets dripping orange and pink.

Even cloudy days? Chef’s kiss. They make leaves glow like they’ve been Photoshopped.

The mood is unmatched

Summer screams “adventure!” but fall whispers “wander, linger, wrap your hands around a mug.”

It’s cozy but dramatic, like your favorite indie film. Capturing that mood on camera is addictive.

The travel buzz

People road-trip specifically for foliage.

Ever heard of “leaf peepers”? Yeah, that’s a whole subculture.

You’re joining an annual migration of folks chasing the best colors across states, countries, continents.

It’s fleeting

One storm, and boom! Your red maples are bald. That urgency? It makes every shot feel earned.

Quick Reality Check: Respect the land. Don’t trample fragile undergrowth just for the “perfect angle.”

Don’t block roads for your photo op. And please don’t lean over crumbly cliffs holding your pumpkin spice latte for a TikTok.

Best Fall Photography Locations

Since we are all about travel and adventure here, let’s talk about the best places around the world to see the fall leaves in action. 

Mountains

• Colorado Rockies, USA (late September): Whole hillsides of aspens glowing gold at sunrise. Shoot wide for sweeping valley views, then switch to a zoom lens to compress those golden layers against rugged peaks. I am biased…because I live in Colorado.
• Great Smoky Mountains, USA (mid-October): Misty blue ridges stacked behind fiery red and orange maples. Best seen from sunrise overlooks or scenic road trip pull-offs.
• Scottish Highlands, UK (October): Rust-red hills, golden bracken, and mist swirling over lochs. Bring a wide lens for moody, cinematic landscapes.
• Japanese Alps, Japan (mid-October): Bright crimson maples and fiery gingko trees lighting up the mountainsides. Hike into alpine valleys for jaw-dropping color framed by snowy peaks.

Lakes and Reflections

• Rangeley Lakes, Maine, USA (early October): Calm, mirror-like water reflecting a mosaic of crimson, orange, and yellow. Go at sunrise before the breeze ruins the glassy perfection.
• Canadian Rockies (late September–early October): Golden larch trees glowing against turquoise lakes, sometimes topped with a dusting of snow. “Fire and ice” at its finest.
• Lake Bled, Slovenia (October): Emerald water, a tiny island church, and fiery foliage wrapping the shoreline. Best shot from above (hike Ojstrica viewpoint at sunrise).
• Jiuzhaigou Valley, China (October): Unreal turquoise lakes ringed with scarlet and golden trees. A UNESCO site that looks like someone cranked up the saturation in real life.

Read More – Colorado Bucket List | USA Bucket Lists

Small-Town

• Vermont and New Hampshire, USA (early–mid October): Covered bridges, white steeple churches, and rolling hills straight off a postcard. Frame architecture with fiery foliage for those iconic New England vibes.
• Bavaria, Germany (October): Half-timbered villages tucked into hillsides ablaze with color. Add in Neuschwanstein Castle for a fairytale-level shot.
• Quebec City, Canada (October): Cobblestone streets and European-style charm, but with maple trees glowing like torches. Old Town rooftops against autumn hills create dreamy frames.
• Hallstatt, Austria (October): A storybook village mirrored in a lake, surrounded by blazing hillsides. Basically fall wallpaper in real life.

Fall in the City

• New York City’s Central Park, USA (late October–early November): Iconic skyline meets fiery treetops. Shoot wide to capture skyscrapers, or zoom for a frame full of golden leaves.
• Prague, Czech Republic (October): Gothic towers, cobblestone streets, and burnt-orange vines crawling up medieval walls. Go at blue hour for moody contrast.
• Kyoto, Japan (late November): Famous temple gardens glowing with crimson maples and golden gingko trees. Pair architecture and foliage for perfect harmony.
• Paris, France (October–November): Tree-lined boulevards and the Seine framed in warm tones. For extra drama, shoot the Eiffel Tower with orange leaves in the foreground.

Read More – October Bucket List | November Bucket List | Prague Bucket Lists

Traveling Smart for Fall Photography

Here’s the brutal truth: fall is a diva. She shows up late, storms out early, and sometimes doesn’t even bother showing up at all. 

You can plan the perfect road trip, book the cutest cabin, pack your flannels… and still arrive to find bare trees or stubborn summer greens.

Welcome to the gamble of leaf-chasing.

Factors That Mess With Fall

Rain & Storms → A single heavy storm can strip trees bare overnight. One day it’s a fiery canopy, the next it’s a crunchy carpet.

Heat Waves →If it stays hot too long, leaves shift slower… or skip straight to brown.

Frost/Cold Snaps → Early frost can dull colors and shorten the show.

Elevation Swings →Trees up high peak weeks earlier than those in valleys. Miss one? Chase the other.

Regional Variability →New England can explode in early October while the Smokies don’t hit until late October/early November.

Fall color moves with elevation. If you miss peak color up high, drive down into valleys…it’s like surfing a wave, but with leaves.

How to Travel Smart for Fall Photography

Plan a Window, Not a Day

Give yourself a weeklong window instead of a single weekend. More wiggle room = higher chance of catching peak.

Have a Backup Plan

If the leaves are past prime, lean into moody shots—fog, waterfalls, or close-up details (macro leaves, forest textures).

Stay Flexible

If a storm wipes out your destination, be ready to drive lower in elevation or shift regions. 

How to Check Fall Color Forecasts

Fall colors don’t run on your vacation schedule – they run on weather, altitude, and pure chaos.

But luckily, there are tools to help you plan like a pro leaf-chaser:

• My favorite resource for tracking fall foliage in the US is Explore Fall. It has maps for every US state.
• State + National Foliage Trackers: Most states with famous fall color (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine) publish weekly updates with maps that show “just starting” → “peak” → “past prime.”
• Instagram/TikTok Recon: Search hashtags like #VermontFoliage or #SmokiesFall. Locals and travelers post in real time, so you can see if colors are popping.
• Elevation Hack: Remember…trees change earlier at higher altitudes. If the peaks are bare, drop into the valleys.

Build in flexibility. Plan a window, not a single weekend. Leaves can turn late or drop early depending on rain, frost, or storms.

Best Time of Day for Fall Photography

Everyone raves about sunrise and sunset, and they’re not wrong.

But here’s the real tea: fall is one of the few seasons where midday light actually slaps too.

Sunrise

• Cool morning air = mist in valleys, glowing fog through the trees.
• Leaves lit from behind look translucent, like stained glass windows.
• Bonus: fewer crowds = cleaner shots.

Midday

• Normally, midday light is harsh and boring. But in fall? That direct sun makes reds, oranges, and yellows explode with saturation.
• Great time to shoot close-ups and forest canopies where you want max vibrancy.
• Pro move: Use a polarizer filter to cut glare and deepen skies. It keeps your colors from looking washed out.

Sunset

• Golden light washing over hillsides = chef’s kiss.
• Shadows stretch long, adding texture and depth to your landscapes.
• Perfect time for road shots, reflection lakes, and silhouettes against fiery skies.

If you can, stay flexible and shoot at all three.

Each gives a totally different vibe: dreamy at sunrise, bold at midday, and moody-romantic at sunset.

Fall Photo Ideas + Shot List

Here’s your cheat sheet of must-capture ideas so you don’t end up with 300 identical “tree canopy” shots:

• Reflection Shots: Lakes, puddles, even shiny car hoods. Kneel down low and center the symmetry.
• Backlit Leaves: Hold your camera up toward the sun. Those glowing edges? Pure magic. If you can integrate the sun, bump up your aperture to create a “sun star”. 
• Trail Perspective: A leaf-strewn trail disappearing into the woods = total adventure vibes. 
• Candid Adventure: Friend hiking, sipping coffee, wrapped in a blanket. Add humans for scale + story.
• Macro Details: Get close on a single leaf, veins lit by the sun. Bonus: raindrops after a storm.
• “From the Tent” Shot: Leaves outside your campsite framed by the tent opening. Cozy wanderlust.
• Flat Lays: Arrange a few vibrant leaves around your boots, coffee cup, or gear. Easy Instagram win.
• Skyline Frame: Urban scene framed with foliage. Central Park is the blueprint, but any city works.
• Movement: Don’t forget movement. Toss leaves in the air. Shoot long exposure on a breezy day. Photograph a cyclist flying down a leaf-covered road. Fall isn’t static…it’s alive.

Gear + Settings for Fall Photography

You don’t need a $3k camera to crush fall photography. But you do need to know how to work with what you’ve got.

Cameras + Lenses

• DSLR/Mirrorless: Versatile, best for detail + range.
• Phone: Totally valid. Just use RAW mode if your model has it.
• Lenses:
  • Wide angle (16mm): Big sweeping landscapes.
    • Honestly, this isn’t my favorite and highlights the sky and background more than the colors. But, you do you. 
  • 50mm prime: Crisp details + portraits.
  • Telephoto (70–200mm): Compress mountain layers, isolate color patches.
    • This was my favorite! I loved the textures and zoomed in portraits. This makes colors POP. 

My Go-To Travel Cameras: Canon EOS M50 mark II | Canon EOS 5D mark IV | What’s in My Camera Bag?

Filters

Polarizers

Polarizer filters cuts glare on wet leaves + intensifies sky. Basically fall’s secret sauce.

I have polarized sunglasses and would check if it was necessary first. 

Another idea is taking multiple shots with various polarizing levels and then merging them in Lightroom later. 

ND Filter

I would recommend an ND filter if it is very sunny or you plan on shooting long exposure water shots.

This basically is like sunglasses for your lens and helps exposure with longer shutter speeds.

Settings Cheat Sheet

• ISO: Keep low (100–400) for clean shots. Bump up only if light dips.
• Aperture: f/8–f/11 for landscapes, f/2.8–f/4 for dreamy leaf portraits.
• Shutter Speed: 1/250+ for handheld leaves. Slow down to 1/10–1/2 sec with tripod for moving leaves/waterfalls.
  • Be careful with wind and long shutter speeds! Wind will blow leaves and sneakily ruin your crisp images! 

If you need a reminder on photography settings, you can download my setting below 👇 or you can check out this beginners guide.

Editing Fall Photos Like a Pro

This is where “pretty” turns into Pinterest-worthy.

Why Shoot RAW

More flexibility. You can rescue blown-out highlights and pull detail from shadows without trashing the quality.

Editing Workflow

Warm Up Tones → Nudge white balance slightly warmer for that cozy glow.

Boost Oranges + Reds → Careful not to go nuclear. You want “maple magic,” not “radioactive Cheeto.”

Tame Greens → Shift toward yellow to keep them natural.

Contrast + Clarity → Punch up the leaves against foggy or cloudy backdrops.

Vignette → Subtle edge darkening pulls eyes into your leaf explosion.

Let’s Cheat…Just a Little

Didn’t time your trip perfectly and everything is still yellow/green? Editing has your back. 

In Lightroom, or any HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) panel, you can transform almost-peak leaves into full fall glory:

• Greens → Yellows: Slide the green hue toward yellow. Instantly turns that “still summer” vibe into autumn gold.
• Yellows → Oranges: If the yellows look washed out, nudge the hue slider toward orange for that richer, fiery look.
• Oranges → Reds: Want extra drama? Push oranges slightly toward red.

Pair these hue shifts with slight saturation/brightness tweaks, and boom – you’ve got peak vibes even if nature ghosted you.

Presets

Yes, I have premade presets and custom preset services that do 80% of this for you. (Shameless plug, but useful.) 

Drop it on, then tweak sliders to fit your shot.

Traveling Smart for Fall Adventures

You’ve got the inspo, now let’s make sure you actually survive the trip:

• Pack Layers: Fall mornings are freezing, afternoons can roast. Layer game strong.
• Gloves for Shooting: Thin, touchscreen-friendly. Cold hands = shaky shots.
• Extra Batteries: Cold drains them faster. Keep spares in your pocket close to your body heat.
• Avoid Crowds: Go early, go mid-week. Nothing kills the vibe like a leaf-peeping traffic jam.
• Actually Enjoy: Take breaks where you don’t shoot. Breathe it in. Photos are memory keepers, but don’t let them become the memory itself.

The Wrap-Up on Traveling Fall Photography

Here’s the truth: fall is fleeting. 

You’ll never see the same tree look exactly the same way again.

Which is why fall photography hits us right in the chest and it’s about holding onto a season that refuses to stay put.

So grab your camera (or your phone), pack a bag, and hit the road. Chase those golds, reds, and ambers until your memory card is full and your boots are muddy. 

And when you edit those photos later? You’ll realize you weren’t just shooting leaves. You were bottling a feeling.

Now it’s your turn: get out there and make your own fall photo magic. Because sometimes the only thing standing between “nice” and “damn” is a little slider magic.

🍂 Happy shooting, leaf chaser. See you out there.

More Fall Bucket List PHotography Inspo

Travel Resources