We had some good autumn reds in the garden this year – or maybe I should say orange for the photo above. It’s the fieriest that our leaves have managed in a long time. I should think the more intense colours developed because it’s been colder than most autumns, though not nearly as cold as we were used to in Scotland.
Our little crab apple tree (Malus ‘Royal Beauty’) has the brightest leaves in our autumn garden. Both photographs here are of this same tree, so you can see that they vary between orange and deep red. They have really been spectacular this year.
To photograph the leaves, I chose to shoot towards the sun. (I was lucky enough to catch the last bit of late sun before it left the back garden.) Doing this allows the strong light to shine through the leaves. As a result, they become ablaze with glowing colour that contrasts with the dark shadows cast by other leaves.
I love nature’s ability to imitate stained glass, if only for a short time. It makes the garden much more exciting to photograph at this time of year!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Wonderful bright warm colours. Autumn foliage is so special!
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Thanks Liz! We don’t get a lot of really red leaves in the garden, so I am really pleased with this little tree. 🙂
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Beautiful autumn foliage, Ann!!
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Thank you Indira! I’m glad of the few things that turn brilliant colours here because we don’t get many in the garden or nearby. This year has been better than usual.
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Night shots, on the road with a flashlight or studio? have a good week!
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I’ve taken night shots in Edinburgh, when I lived nearby – fun but sometimes very cold! These were taken in a part of the garden that had very little light left, just the last little bit of sun before it was too low to reach that area. A flash would work too if it was off-camera, but the sun’s a lot easier!
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Beautiful. We don’t get colours like that down here.
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Thanks Jude! We don’t get a lot of autumn colour – mainly yellows. This little crab apple does colour quite well though, and sometimes the leaves last long enough to get frosted too. We also get some good colour from a smoke bush and a young cherry tree.
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This is lovely. Unfortunately, some of our most vibrant reds come from invasive species. Still, in good years our sumacs and virginia creeper can produce something akin to this. I have some brighter yellows this year than any I remember in the past. Sometimes it’s only a limb or two of a tree, as though that part has decided to show off.
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Interesting that parts of a tree can be brighter – maybe some parts of the tree could be more exposed to cold? Or maybe it depends on the health or condition of different parts of the tree? I’d love to know the answer!
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Beautiful color and great technique! I love the stained glass look too!
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Thanks Syd! It does make the most of the autumn colours. 🙂
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Wow – trying to catch up – have not been in my blog for awhile. I need to do better! Always enjoy your blog Ann!
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I’m so glad to hear that Syd! If someone is enjoying my blog, then it’s all worthwhile… 🙂
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