By Matt Howell
Cooler weather, more colorful trees, and everything pumpkin flavored means that fall has arrived. As we move into the fall season, the shades of leaves are beginning to change from green to more beautiful reds and yellows.
University of Arkansas horticulture professor, Garry McDonald, says that shorter days and longer and cooler nights are the reason for the change.
“So the plants are thinking ‘Uh oh winter’s coming. I’ve got to get rid of these leaves. I need to hunker down for the winter time.’ So what happens is, there’s some hormonal changes that happen in the leaves. And they basically stop producing chlorophyll. And so the chlorophyll starts to break down. The carotenoids are already there, that’s the orange pigment. They’re already in the leaf, so as the chlorophyll starts breaking down then all the sudden that goes away and the orange colors start coming out.”
Although the color changing process is already in full swing, the most brilliant colors will be seen closer to the end of October. McDonald believes that watching the leaves change in Fayetteville is something truly unique.
“I think it was two years ago that the University of Arkansas was ranked one of the top ten college campuses in the world for fall color. I don’t think a lot of our students know that. So I think we’re very lucky to live in a place that really does have a beautiful campus and good fall color.”
So you’ve found the perfect setting for a picture, but how do you get that perfect shot? Photographer Brenton Little says that it’s not the gear that matters, but the photographer. He’s amassed a quarter of a million followers on Instagram and he says that 95% of his photos were taken using only his iPhone. Brenton credits his success to creativity and proper technique, not photography equipment.
“I’m more or less framing or composing a situation […] I don’t think about it like a photo. I don’t even consider myself a photographer. I’m like a designer that captures moments. I design moments with my eye and then I see it and I want to capture that.”
Weather condition is an important factor to consider when planning to photograph fall colors.
“I especially love a good foggy morning to kind of create an atmosphere. It creates a little bit more of an atmosphere around the color. And if it’s been raining or is humid in the air it seems to make the colors a little bit more saturated.”
Little also said that the best time of day to capture those fall leaves is during a time called golden hour, about an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. When the sun gives off light a little more warm in color than the rest of the day.
This afternoon’s golden hour begins at 6:08 pm and ends at 6:57, so don’t miss your chance to get out there and capture those beautiful colors.
Brenton’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/brenton_clarke