Known as Scotland’s ‘Big Tree Country’, Highland Perthshire is one of the most beautiful places to experience the autumn colours. October is typically the peak season for the changing leaves with Faskally Forest, the pass of Killiecrankie, the Hermitage and the Garry bridge offering particularly spectacular scenery.
You don’t need to be a professional photographer to capture the beauty, you just need a little time, the right light and somewhere beautiful to point your camera.
The best light for autumn photography:
You don’t necessarily want a bright sunny day. In fact, some of the most atmospheric autumn photographs are taken beneath soft cloud cover. Overcast skies can make the colours of the leaves appear richer and avoid any harsh shadows created by strong sun.
For warmer more golden photograph, head out in the morning or the late afternoon when the sun sits the lowest.
And if the weather promises a little mist or rain don’t immediately put your camera away. Wet leaves become more saturated in colour, puddles create reflecvt6ions and mist can be the woodland an almost ethereal quality.
What to bring:
You don’t need a bag full of specialist equipment, the best camera for an autumn walk is one you’re happy or carry
Your camera or smart phone
A spare battery (if required)
A waterproof (for you and your camera!)
A tripod
Comfortable layers
Waterproof walking boots or hiking shoots – remember guests can always borrow wellies from our boot room!
Snacks to fuel your efforts. Did you know you can pre-order a delicious picnic for two from Pine Trees? It’ll come packed in a cooler bag and is the perfect accompaniment to a day out capturing the surroundings.
A few simple tips:
Look for reflections – still water can double the impact of autumn colour. Loch Dunmore is particularly beautiful for this.
Photograph through the trees – Use branches and leaves in the foreground
Get closer – Autumn isn’t only about sweeping landscapes, photograph bark, moss, berries, mushrooms and the textures all around.
Stay a little longer – the lighting can change dramatically in just a few minutes, so if somewhere feels special don’t be too quick to move on
Try different perspectives – get low to the ground, photograph upwards through the canopy, this season is all about looking at things differently.
Make an afternoon of it:
The beauty of photographing around Pitlochry is that you don’t need to plan an expedition or run around chasing the perfect picture. Because the best thing about doing this isn’t coming home with the perfect image, it’s having spent a few hours somewhere worth photographing.
