Fall photography tips from pro photographer Kelly Funk

Fall is a great time for photographers, both professional and amateur, to get outside and take great pictures, says Kamloopsphotographer Kelly Funk.

"It's vibrant, the air is crisp, and I think after the summer we had, it's kind of nice to have that change," he told Radio West host Rebecca Zandbergen. "It smells good, it's a time of recharging."

"[As a photographer] I'm looking for colour, I'm looking for vibrancy, I'm looking for a story I can tell with my image as well as composition. So something that moves me is something I want to record."

Funk has five tips for people who want to take advantage of fall and the sights and colours that come with it, to capture some nice photographs.

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Invest in a polarizer

"A polarizer is a filter that you usually screw onto the end of your lens, and it really saturates the colours and reduces the glare of the water. Water and colours go really well together. So a polarizer can help almost anybody, especially if you're not into software post-processing

Timing is everything

"Spend a little bit more time in the early morning or the late afternoon. The light is even sweeter at the beginning and at the end of the days. That's going to lend itself to getting a more impactful image."

Use a tripod

"A tripod is always nice because then you can do effects like having that soft, milky water flow in images. So if you add that to the colour of the fall, you're really going to get some nice story behind your images."

A camera phone doesn't have to be a barrier

"It restricts you in certain ways, but sometimes I just walk around with my phone because I get tired of carrying my camera around. People with phones can do a ton. What you're really looking for is shooting in even light. So, you don't want to give the phone too tricky of a lighting scenario. If there's lots of sun and lots of shade, you're going to find that the phone doesn't do all that great of a job. But if you can find an evenly lit subject, I'd recommend that for sure."

Be creative

"Look for something a little different instead of the standard shots. if you can just let your creative mind go a little bit, you can come up with different aspects of the fall. I think that's what makes it a little bit more interesting and challenging as well."

Send us your fall snaps!

If you've been able to take some fall snaps that you're proud of, send them our way! We'll compile some of the best shots for a fall photo gallery.

Send your photos to cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca and use the subject line "Fall Photos."

To hear the full story, clickon the audio labelled:5 tips for capturing great fall photographs