In Episode 06 of Adventure Photography On Location – Chasing Autumn I’m taking you along on a 4 day trip to the german side of the Belgian-German border into the region of the Eifel. Known for its rolling hills, colourful forests and atmospheric castles and moody weather it will be the perfect place to capture autumn inspired adventure, landscape and nature images.
So how do I know about these locations you ask? Well it’s a few hours of preparation before I go.
I have found that the better I prepare, the better my final images. The reason is simple: I spend less time wondering what to do with my time and where to go on my trip, but more time at locations actually shooting.
I usually make use of Google Maps to place pins at all the possible photo locations I can find on the internet. I also alway try to attach the best possible image I can find of a location to that pin. It’s probably my planning tool #1. It’s free, powerful and you can save the map, share it and collaborate on them.
Obviously for a short trip like this one I won’t spend more than a few hours on creating my map, but the more time you spend doing this, the better! Once I’m on the road I’ll avoid looking at more images of places so I don’t get stuck or frustrated creating something that already exists.
I also found that Instagram is a great research tool. By looking for some # (Hashtags) I was able to find beautiful photos of others who had visited the areas before. Google image search is always helpful too. Try googling: German Eifel, Eifel Natur, Eifel Fotografie Eifel Autumn,… (try to google in multiple languages too – always helpful)
Also google for the theme you are willing to photograph. ‘long exposure autumn, autumn colours, autumn photography… you get the idea. Inspire your creativity.
Check out my Google Map below:
My short road trip took me from the north end of the Eifel, where I shot a long time bucket list location: Castle Eltz all the way down to the South Eifel where, close to the border with Luxemburg I went looking for compositions in between forests and cliffs of the Teufelsschlucht Nature Reserve (Devil’s Gorge).
Equipped with a brand new camper van we had the perfect tool to be at the right place at the right time. On the first night we parked a few minutes away from the castle Eltz and to our surprise weren’t able to beat the crowds in the following morning…
Turned out it was a school holiday in the near by Netherlands and it seemed like the castle was incredibly popular with the Dutch. So we decided to park the camper as close as we possibly could for the second night and be the very first out in the next morning.
Castle Eltz is a fairly easy subject to capture. There’s nothing you have to hide or no perspective that doesn’t work really… It’s pretty much a perfect castle in a perfect location. And with those beautiful autumn colours and moody weather it wasn’t a big challenge to shoot.
I usually try to work my way in our out of a location by starting as far aways as possible and working through various lenses and settings as I progress my way closer to the subject. Having been there the previous day I had already planned most of my shots and the second morning we ended up finishing in no time at all. What a great feeling!
We then drove on south to a place called the Teufelsschlucht (Devils Gorge). It’s right by the border with Luxembourg and is known for it’s beautiful forests and gorges / cliffs. (Definitely great spot for awesome climbing photos too – I might have to go back…)
Anyway, this one wasn’t quite as simple as the Castle Eltz shoot. Forests are all about creating order in chaos. Creating a composition that leads the viewer into the shot – into the forest. After about an hour or so of exploring it was obvious, I had to do something special to capture the depth and feeling of this 28m deep gorge we had come across.
With the camera attached to the end of my fully extended tripod I leant over the edge and managed to hold the camera at places and perspectives not seen before for this location.
Unfortunately the light we started off with faded before I managed to get the composition I was happy with. However I think the end result also works as a more atmospheric shot without the sun.
The third and last location was only a 20min drive from the Teufelsschlucht, at a place called Irreler Wasserfälle (Irreler Waterfalls) – although, because of a drought in September, the waterfalls are a bit of a joke this year my main reason for visiting was the beautiful wooden bridge I had found during my research.
This place turned out to be a bit of a challenge. The beautiful, mossy stones I wanted to so desperately use in the foreground of my images turned out to be incredibly slippery and spread scarcely in the fast flowing river. I took me over an hour to find the right composition. By adding a few brown leaves I finally captured what I had come for: Autumn Magic.
Keeping it light and mobile is my main goal. Luckily my Olympus gear is super light and compact and yet allows me to capture anything I need to. Perfect!
Equipped with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and OM-D E-M5 Mark II and the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO as well as the 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO and the Lee Little Stopper (6 Stop ND Filter) and the Lee 105mm Circular Polariser this must be one of the most minimal adventures since I started the APOL series.
Like I mentioned in the video, I’m not a huge fan of tripods. Every time I see photographers use them I see them stay in the one spot. Even worse, they stretch out the tripod legs as far as possible and basically have the camera at head height. Most of the time they don’t even need a tripod for the shot they are taking…
So if I have to use a tripod, I make sure it’s the only way I can get the shot I’m after.
My tip, don’t take one. Unless you know you’re doing long exposures or shooting in incredible low light. And whatever tripod you take, make sure it’s a small, light one that HELPS and not bothers you. I’ve been borrowing the Sirui Tripod for half a year now and have maybe used it for 1% of the shots I have taken. But whenever I use it it’s I make sure there’s no other way I could have captured that shot. Make it an essential for the shot.
Gear List:
Olympus OM-D E-M1 – http://bit.ly/2kwIkf7
M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO – http://bit.ly/2kgKjWo
M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO – http://bit.ly/2jSoIA9
M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO – http://bit.ly/2ldfShL
M.Zuiko 300mm f/4 PRO – http://bit.ly/2kwG0Fd
Peak Design camera straps – http://amzn.to/2Bm5b40
Sirui Tripod – http://amzn.to/2F5wIsM
Lee 100mm Square Filter Holder – http://amzn.to/2F5Jrvo
Lee 105mm Filter Holder – http://amzn.to/2G74TS9
Lee Little Stopper (6-Stop) – http://amzn.to/2G7463D
Lee Circular Polariser 105mm (slim) – http://amzn.to/2F4Ucy8
Hoya 72mm Circular Polariser – http://amzn.to/2n3NH7z
ShapeWays Lee Filter Adapter Holder for 7-14mm f/2.8: http://bit.ly/7to14mmFilterAdapter
MountainSmith Lumbar Pack – http://amzn.to/2DswFXC
With over 1500 images captured during my 4 day trip it was a painful process going through the images. But the idea was to create a series of images that belonged together and stood for the theme of the trip: Autumn.
Which is why I wanted to create a look that would work across any situation / light and yet tie the images together so that they belonged together visually.
In this Autumn Photography Lightroom Preset Pack you will find presets that will help you with those moody autumn colours and make those orange, red and yellow tones pop, without over saturating the image.
Put together as a result of these (and a LOT of previous) images I edited over the past weeks I combined a collection of filters that work great for autumn and golden light images.
By buying this preset pack you support my work and help me create future episodes and of course more Lightroom preset packs. So thank you in advance if you do decide to buy one!
Well for me it’s a long trip back to Australia next. I’m still sitting on GBs of video material of Iceland and the Faroe Islands and will be publishing upcoming episodes of APOL in the coming weeks/ months.
Expect another kayaking episode – but this time in between Icebergs, one or 2 skateboarding episodes in the Faroe Islands and a few extreme weather episodes also on the Faroe Islands.
So plenty to stay excited about!
For daily image updates please follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
I put a ton of time and energy into these episodes for you to enjoy and learn from and if you’d like to show your support it would be awesome if you could subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Obviously buying Lightroom Preset Packs, Prints or digital images from me supports me a great deal and makes it possible for me to produce future episodes. ?
If you haven’t yet seen the first few episodes. I recommend watching (and reading about them) in the links below.
Faroe Islands Photography Journal (APOL EP37-38-39)
In April 2018 I had the opportunity to travel back to my favourite place on earth. A wild, little group of 18 islands in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Tucked away half way between Scotland and Iceland, not even a dot on the world map. The Faroe Islands. I spent a week-long exploring the…
DetailsScotland Photography Packlist + Photos (APOL EP32-33-34)
I had initially planned to head off to Austria for a week. But soon found myself looking further. I wanted snow, drama, colour, contrast and a wild landscape. And Austria just didn’t feel right for that. So Scotland it was!
DetailsEP31 – Improve Your Photography Composition Techniques
In EP31 of Adventure Photography on Location I’m exploring famous Lake Bled in Slovenia and I share some of my favourite composition rules & tools with you and how I use them to improve my photography composition techniques.
DetailsEP30 – Huskies and Minimalism in Lapland
In EP30 of Adventure Photography on Location I”m still in Lapland. We head off on a husky tour (coolest thing ever btw!) and then I try myself at arctic minimalism photography…
DetailsEP29 – Photography in -24ºC in Lapland
In EP29 of Adventure Photography on Location, I’m in Lapland – Finland. I managed to sneak away from the family for a day or 2 and spend my Christmas in -24ºC getting some shots of the frozen landscapes.
DetailsEP28 – Chasing Winter
In EP28 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m off chasing winter and go to test out the long exposure capabilities of the Olympus E-M1 Mark II + 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO with a 4 second handheld shot!
DetailsEP27 – Little Switzerland in Luxembourg
In EP27 of Adventure Photography on Location I’m exploring the beautiful nature and rock formations in a place called Little Switzerland in Luxembourg aka Müllertal.
DetailsThe Pamir Highway – A Visual Journey
A collection of images, videos and thought about the most epic road trip I ever had the pleasure of going on: The Pamir Highway.
DetailsEP20 + EP21 – The Lenin Peak Expedition (7,134m // 23,400ft)
In EP20 & 21 of APOL I go on my biggest adventure yet as I spend 3 weeks in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan to attempt the famous Lenin Peak. The so called easiest 7000m mountain on the planet.
DetailsEP19 – The Grand Canyon Of Central Asia
In EP19 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m at the so called Grand Canyon of Central Asia: the Charyn Canyon.
DetailsEP18 – Altitude Sickness in Kazakhstan
In EP18 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m travelling to and photographing Kazakhstan and suffer some pretty bad altitude sickness…
DetailsEP17 – Photographing Spitzkoppe – Namibia
In EP17 I’m about to photograph some of my favourite Namibia moments, in the middle of nowhere at a place called Spitzkoppe. Come join me!
DetailsEP16 – Deadvlei
In EP16 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m at the oldest desert on the planet: the Namib Desert of Namibia. Join to on an adventure to Deadvlei.
DetailsEP15 – The Panorama Route
In EP15 of Adventure Photography On Location I continue my journey north through South Africa and follow the famous Panorama Route. On today’s menu: Epic views and raging waterfalls. Join me as I put the weather sealing of my camera to the extreme test.
DetailsEP14 – South Africa – The Gorge
In EP14 of Adventure Photography On Location I get my feet wet as I follow a river upstream and explore my way down into the cracks and canyons of the Drakensberg into a place called ‘The Gorge’.
DetailsEP13 – South Africa – The Berg
In EP13 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m climbing to the top of the worlds tallest cascading water in the Drakensberg – aka The Berg.
DetailsEP12 – FAIL
EP12 of Adventure Photography On Location is a total fail… it’s not always perfect and what would an adventure be without occasionally failing, right?
DetailsEP11 – South Africa – Cape Town
In EP11 of Adventure Photography On Location I climb the famous Lion’s Head mountain in Cape Town to capture the golden flares and sunrise light.
DetailsEP10 – Kayaking A Drowned Forest
In EP10 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m taking you along on an overnight kayaking trip to Kangaroo Valley where we camp near a drowned forest.
DetailsEP09 – Belmore Falls
In EP09 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m heading off-the-grid for a few days on a quest to capture the iconic Belmore Falls in the upper Kangaroo Valley in NSW Australia.
DetailsEP08 – Blue Mountains: From Peak to Canyon
In Episode 08 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m exploring the the Blue Mountains of Australia. Capturing vast landscape images of the Hanging Rock as well as tropical canyons deep down in the valleys of the Mountains.
DetailsEP07 – Kayaking The Glacier Lagoon
In EP07 I’m taking you behind the scenes of one of my favourite adventure photos of Iceland. The kayaking shot in the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland.
DetailsEP06 – Chasing Autumn
In EP06 I’m chasing autumn as I take you along on a four day trip to the Eifel in Germany as we explore landscapes, castles and capture atmospheric autumn photos.
DetailsEP05 – Aerial Photography Over Iceland
In Episode 05: I test my Aerial Photography skills as I fly over Iceland including a landing on top of a glacier and one next to steaming thermal springs. Including 10 aerial photography tips + a brand new Lightroom Preset Pack for download!
DetailsEP04 – Between Continents
Follow along as I take you underwater between continents and snorkelling between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates in Silfra – Iceland.
DetailsEP03 – Kayaking Into Sunset
In Episode 03 of Adventure Photography On Location I’m taking you along to the best sunset we’ve had so far in Iceland, as we go kayaking into sunset.
DetailsEP02 – Chasing Waterfalls
Follow along as I explore 3 very different waterfalls and make the most of the rainy conditions we’ve been having in Iceland. I’ll be showing you how I use ultra wide angle lenses all the way to a 600mm lens to achieve my shots.
DetailsEP01 – Hidden Canyon
So after many weeks and countless hours of preparation and thanks to the help of Olympus AU I’ve finally made it to Iceland. And in the very first episode of the new video series: Adventure Photography On Location I’m taking you along from Budapest to Iceland all the way into a canyon on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in the far west of Iceland.
Details
Hey mate – great episode, just dropping a line to compliment you on your work. I’ve been a long time lurker (IG and here) watching your adventures from afar (Brisbane). Particularly at the moment you’re very close to my birth place (Limburg, NL) and where I spent 6 months last year travelling, based in Maastricht and really getting into photography (well, trying – certainly in volume at 17,000 pics on the EM1, funny I created a google map too to try pick locations, but must spend more time scoping spots next time). Pity I didn’t see you work before my trip as I would’ve been inspired to try some different styles and make use of the sometimes inclement weather – your LR presets do good work of the moody weather, how many are in a pack? I’m hopefully heading back there next year so keep up the inspiring videos!
Hello Pepijn,
Thanks for your kind comment. Really appreciate it and I’m glad my episodes are being watched from all around the world.
Good to hear from a fellow Olympus shooter too!
The Google Maps is really awesome and I love making maps during my preparing phase. Really helps with planning the route.
Making use of the (sometimes) bad weather here is also something I had to get used to. Now I love it. It really shows you what these places mostly look like and it adds so much to the actual atmosphere of the place.
Oh and the Autumn Preset Pack has 9 Lightroom presets in it.
awesome. Came across this through a TID email. I’m already a big fan of Olympus mirrorless. This is the most helpful camera site I’ve seen yet – beautiful shots too, without being too Disney. I’ve subscribed.
Hello Dinah,
Thanks so much for your kind words about my work. Very much appreciated 🙂