Fall    

 

"Autumn arrives in the early morning,
but spring at the close of a winter day."
 Elizabeth Bowen

 

Today comes Fall in the Northern Hemisphere...

Spring in the Southern Hemisphere... 

 

The most colorful seasons! Great for the soul! Great for the eyes!

Have you ever wondered how and why the leaves change color in the Fall? Where do those hues of yellow, orange, red, maroon, and purple come from?

Well, you know that chlorophyll (substance in plants which give them the green color) helps making the photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which the plants make their food: by using water and the carbon dioxide from the air, plus the sun light, they produce glucose (a kind of sugar).

The trees store their glucose to use when there is a lack of light and water - the winter time. When Fall (or Autumn, in British English) comes, the days start getting shorter and shorter, the trees start their dormant period; the green chlorophyll starts fading away from the leaves and we start seeing other colors caused by various pigments like carotene (orange), xanthophyll (yellow) and anthocyanin (red and purple) - which were there before, in small portions, but we couldn't see in the Summer because they were covered up by the green chlorophyll.

 

What about photographing all these beautiful colors and shades?

Any time, actually, is a good time to take good Fall pictures, but you can get a special effect by photographing colored trees in the morning, or late afternoon, when the light provides interesting shadows. Tip: when your shadow is longer than you are, that's a good time to get a really cool effect! The light will provide a special gloss to your picture!

 

 

 

 

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
Albert Camus

 

 

 

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