Low autumn sunshine is the best free lighting you’ll get all year. Because the sun sits so low in the sky, it lights leaves from the side and shines straight through them, rather than beating down from above. Yesterday it was bright enough to drag me away from my desk for an hour’s walk round the local park, and these are the photos I came back with.
Quick answer: why does autumn light make leaves glow?
- In autumn the sun stays low in the sky, even in the middle of the day.
- Low sun lights leaves from the side and from behind, so the light passes through them instead of landing on top.
- Light passing through a leaf lights up its colour and veins, a bit like a lampshade.
- Parks are full of shade at this time of year, so those bright leaves often sit against a dark background, which makes them stand out even more.
- You don’t need a big camera. A phone and half an hour in your local park will do it.
Why did a sunny afternoon get me out of the office?
I was sat at my desk yesterday afternoon and the light coming through the window was too good to ignore. Bright, low, golden. The kind you only really get in October and November. So I did something I don’t do often enough: I stopped, grabbed a camera and went for a walk.
The park is about 20 minutes’ walk from me, so the whole thing took about an hour there and back. Nothing grand. No drive to the Dales, no early alarm. Just the local patch, around two o’clock on a weekday. I came back with a card full of photos and a much clearer head.
Is a short walk really worth taking a break for?
It definitely made me feel better, and it turns out there’s some research behind that. A University of Michigan study found that 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking somewhere that feels like nature was the most efficient way to bring down levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
A separate University of Exeter study of nearly 20,000 people in England found that people who spent around two hours a week in nature were more likely to report good health and wellbeing. Two things in there I liked: town parks count, and the two hours can be made up of shorter visits. So a lunchtime walk round the park is doing more good than it gets credit for.
How is autumn light different from summer light?
It all comes down to how high the sun gets. Around two in the afternoon yesterday, the sun was only about 16 degrees above the horizon here in West Yorkshire. At midsummer it climbs to nearly 60 degrees. That’s the difference between a torch held at your shoulder and a light bulb on the ceiling.
| Summer | Autumn | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun height (West Yorkshire, early afternoon) | Around 58° | Around 16° (4 November, 2pm) |
| Where the light hits leaves | From above, on the top surface | From the side and through the leaf |
| How leaves look | Flat, green, a bit samey | Glowing, with colour and veins showing |
| Shadows | Short, harsh, directly underneath | Long, with big areas of shade |
| Colour of the light | White, neutral | Warmer and more golden |
In summer, a tree in full sun just looks green. The light lands on top of the canopy, and you’re looking at the dull side underneath. In autumn, the sun slips in under the branches and lights the leaves up from behind. Add the yellows and oranges of the changing season and you get that glow you can see in these photos.
I’ve written before about why low sun makes winter good for photography. Autumn gets the same low angle, but with the trees still holding their colour. It’s the best of both.
Why are the backgrounds so dark in these photos?
Being in a park, a lot of what’s behind the leaves is in shade. Low sun means long shadows from houses and big trees, so while one branch is in full sun, everything behind it can be in the dark. Your eyes cope with that fine. A camera can’t, so it has to choose.
When you set the exposure for the bright leaves, the shaded background drops towards black. That’s exactly what you want. The dark background acts like a black stage curtain behind an actor in a spotlight. Nothing competes with the leaves, so the colour jumps out.
How do you photograph glowing autumn leaves on your phone?
You don’t need my camera kit for this. Your phone will do a great job, and you’ve probably got it in your pocket anyway. Here’s what I’d do:
- Pick a bright, sunny afternoon. In October and November, early to mid afternoon works well, before the sun drops behind houses and trees.
- Walk with the sun in front of you or to the side. You’re looking for leaves with the sun shining through them, not on them.
- Look for a dark background. Shaded tree trunks, hedges or the shadow side of a building all work.
- Tap the brightest leaves to focus. That tells the phone what matters in the picture.
- Find your exposure control and turn it down. On most phones, after you tap to focus, you can slide your finger up or down (look for a little sun icon) to make the picture brighter or darker. Slide it darker. Everything goes darker, the background included, but the leaves stay bright because they’re lit from behind.
- Get closer, or zoom in. A few leaves on one branch often makes a better photo than a whole tree.
- Don’t put the sun directly in the frame. Let it shine through the leaves rather than straight into the lens.
If you want to get more out of your phone generally, I’ve put together a guide to smartphone photography covering composition, using the different lenses and editing.
Do you need to go somewhere special?
No. Every one of these was taken within walking distance of my house, in a park I’ve been round more times than I can count. The light is what made them, not the location. On a dull day I’d have walked straight past every one of these branches.
That’s something I keep coming back to, like on a recent trip to familiar spots on the East Yorkshire coast. You don’t need a new place. You need to turn up when the light’s doing something interesting.
So, should you take a break and go for a walk?
Yes. Next time it’s a bright, sunny afternoon, step away from the screen. Even half an hour is enough. Pop into your local park, point your phone at some really bright leaves, turn the exposure down a touch and see what happens. You might come back with something magical. And even if you don’t, you’ll come back feeling better.
The leaves won’t hang around for long, so go and make the most of them while they’re here.
If you fancy learning more about using light like this, we run practical workshops through Yorkshire Photo Courses.
Cheers, Ade
FAQ
Why do autumn leaves glow in sunlight?
Leaves are thin enough for light to pass through them. When a low autumn sun is behind or to the side of a leaf, the light shines through it, lighting up the colour and the veins like a lampshade. In summer the sun is high, so it mostly lights the top of the leaf instead.
What time of day is best for photographing autumn leaves?
In the UK in October and November, almost any bright, sunny time of day works, because the sun never climbs very high. Early to mid afternoon is ideal: the sun is low enough to shine through the leaves, and there’s still enough of it before it drops behind houses and trees.
How do I photograph backlit leaves on my phone?
Find leaves with the sun shining through them, ideally with a shaded area behind. Tap the bright leaves to focus, then find your phone’s exposure control and slide it down. The background goes darker while the leaves stay bright, which makes the colour stand out.
Why are my backgrounds so dark in autumn photos?
Because the sunlit leaves are far brighter than the shade behind them. When you expose for the leaves, the camera can’t hold detail in both, so the shadows drop towards black. In this kind of photo that’s a good thing: the dark background is what makes the leaves glow.
How long do I need to walk to feel the benefit?
Not long. A University of Michigan study found 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking somewhere green was the most efficient way to bring stress hormone levels down. A University of Exeter study found around two hours a week in nature, built from shorter visits, was linked to better health and wellbeing.
