Fall color in the mountains

John235 · Oct 12, 2019

Yesterday was a perfect day to fly in the State Game Lands of northern Pennsylvania.

CyrusBlack · Oct 13, 2019

Hummmmm - I was just up in VT last week and it looked unimpressive this year. Not quite sure why we see these muddy colors instead of the usual electric colors.

Cymruflyer · Oct 13, 2019

Sometimes, it has to do with rainfall. If there has been poor rainfall leading up to autumn, then the colours are often lack luster.

John235 · Oct 13, 2019

Colors have been more vibrant in the past, but they are pretty good this year. I am a pilot, not a photographer, and my video was shot in auto mode, no filters or special settings, so if the colors appear a bit muted to you, it is more my fault then the trees'. If anyone can suggest settings to help me get these colors to pop out more like real life, I welcome all help to improve.

This is the ridge at the top of the mountain I live on, about a 5 min drive. We are just coming to peak, so I may get some more opportunities to get color shots.

Cymruflyer · Oct 13, 2019

John235 said:
Colors have been more vibrant in the past, but they are pretty good this year. I am a pilot, not a photographer, and my video was shot in auto mode, no filters or special settings, so if the colors appear a bit muted to you, it is more my fault then the trees'. If anyone can suggest settings to help me get these colors to pop out more like real life, I welcome all help to improve.

This is the ridge at the top of the mountain I live on, about a 5 min drive. We are just coming to peak, so I may get some more opportunities to get color shots.

In order to get some help you need to tell us what mode you are shooting in, that way others can suggest changes in what you have set, to enable you to get, in a simple way, better colours. For example, if you were shooting stills in RAW but not doing any post processing, then you would get poor looking images when shown just in RAW. To get a better looking image in a simple manner, then you would shoot in Jpeg mode, because right out of the camera it would give you a better looking image than a RAW image with no post processing.

John235 · Oct 13, 2019

I was shooting with all settings at auto. I made no changes; just let the drone do its thing. The photos were saved by the drone in jpg format. No filters, no post processing. The images are directly off the drone. I would love to be able to set the camera to capture the truth of was I am seeing

svickstc · Oct 13, 2019

Nice shots, but becareful as launching and landing in PA State Game Lands or State Parks has been banned unless that has been lifted recently.

John235 · Oct 14, 2019

Thanks. I will check that out. Interestingly, a ranger came by as I was flying around the parking area and talked a while with my wife yet never mentioned anything about that. I will check and be careful and legal.

Smokieflies · Oct 14, 2019

Still nicer then the color that are in NE Ohio, We had a drought this year, so leaves starting falling before they changed color. We are just now get some color in some trees.

Thanks for sharing

John235 · Oct 14, 2019

Smokieflies said:
Still nicer then the color that are in NE Ohio, We had a drought this year, so leaves starting falling before they changed color. We are just now get some color in some trees.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks. The color here on our mountain and in my back yard is pretty good, about an 8 on a scale of 1-10 from historical greats. But like any attempt to capture "on film" the majesty you find in the mountains, amateurs like me fall way short. When I do a video, much more of the feel of awe comes through. Do any of you have suggestions for how to set my camera to capture more of that in a still?

The_Virus · Oct 14, 2019

We had some decent colors in the Adirondacks this year

John235 · Oct 14, 2019

Smokieflies · Oct 15, 2019

I like my pictures a little darker then most, I think it brings out more color. Polarizer filter can also help reduce glare and make the colors stand out better. And then in post you can
up saturation to your taste. I may increase 10 ~ 15 % more saturation.

John235 · Oct 15, 2019

Smokieflies said:
I like my pictures a little darker then most, I think it brings out more color. Polarizer filter can also help reduce glare and make the colors stand out better. And then in post you can
up saturation to your taste. I may increase 10 ~ 15 % more saturation.

Thanks. Do you recommend exposure lock while videoing? I have noticed that if I wheel the exposure down a notch, the colors improve. I currently do not post process. I used to own Photoshop pro while working, but with window upgrades it no longer works and I can't afford the cost. Can you suggest a good video/photo editing program that doesn't cost as much as a drone?

Smokieflies · Oct 15, 2019

Resolve for video. GIMP for photo editing. Both are free. (Resolve has a paid version, but I always use the free version.

Smokieflies · Oct 15, 2019

Manual exposure is what I usually use, if I have a plan shot in mind. If I am just flying around for fun, I leave it in auto. Direction of drone to sun can change the exposure.
If I get something I like, I usually go back with a plan in mind and go with the manual
exposure. Unless I am shooting waterfalls I do not mess with ND filters for my stills, but do for the videos. Polarizers are a good idea, depending on light levels you are dealing with.
Sometimes in early morning and just before sun set I do not have enough light to use it.

John235 · Oct 15, 2019

Smokieflies said:
Manual exposure is what I usually use, if I have a plan shot in mind. If I am just flying around for fun, I leave it in auto. Direction of drone to sun can change the exposure.
If I get something I like, I usually go back with a plan in mind and go with the manual
exposure. Unless I am shooting waterfalls I do not mess with ND filters for my stills, but do for the videos. Polarizers are a good idea, depending on light levels you are dealing with.
Sometimes in early morning and just before sun set I do not have enough light to use it.

Thank you