Chasing the Shift: Photographing Seasonal Transitions

Chosen theme: Photographing Seasonal Transitions. Welcome to a friendly field guide for noticing the quiet handover between seasons—shifting light, evolving colors, and stories that unfold in the space between. Subscribe, share your experiments, and tell us what the season looks like from where you stand.

Color Temperature in Transit

As summer leans into autumn, dawn cools and evenings warm; winter’s midday flattens, while spring reintroduces sparkle. Track Kelvin shifts, watch clouds’ reflectance, and adapt white balance to keep transitions emotionally accurate.

Exposure Strategies for Edge Days

Transitional skies swing fast from bright to brooding. Bracket modestly, ride exposure compensation, and use histograms religiously. Preserve highlights in reflective frost and wet leaves while protecting shadow texture in lengthening twilight.

Color Palettes Between Seasons

Choose a dominant seasonal hue—rust, blossom pink, fresh grass—then anchor it with a complement to emphasize tension. Carry swatches or a phone mood board to align wardrobe, props, and backgrounds with the in-between story.

Weather, Atmosphere, and Texture

Use hourly forecasts, dew-point graphs, and local webcams to catch brief fog windows or sun breaks. Hills and water edges generate microclimates; map them so your schedule meets the season’s most revealing breaths.

Drizzle deepens color, fog softens contrast, and rain adds narrative dots. Pack a lens hood, microfiber cloths, and a simple shower cap over the camera. Embrace droplets on glass when they serve the feeling.

A beach I love loses its crowds as August fades. One evening fog arrived as a silent curtain; footprints blurred into abstractions. I slowed the shutter, let figures smear, and photographed the season leaving.

Scout a static composition, lock manual exposure, and calculate intervals that respect change—slower for cloud bloom, faster for commuting color. Pack spare batteries, a sturdy tripod, and patience to protect narrative continuity.

Motion and the Passage of Time

Subjects and Places that Tell the Story

Track migrant routes, school calendars, harvest dates, and tide charts. These rhythms expose visual tipping points—jackets reappear, pumpkins replace peaches, migratory flocks redraw the sky. Compile a recurring map for reliable storytelling.

Subjects and Places that Tell the Story

During migrations or mating, keep respectful distance, avoid playback, and stick to established paths. Your photographs should honor the season’s needs, not just your portfolio. Share best practices others can adopt immediately.

Compositions that Embrace In-Between

Place lingering seasonal cues against arriving ones—sandals beside scarves, snow against blossom. Frame with leading lines and negative space to keep the dialogue clear rather than cluttered or cute.

Compositions that Embrace In-Between

People embody seasonal change through rituals—first coat, last swim, warming drinks. Seek candid gestures, then ask permission when appropriate. A genuine exchange often adds context you cannot stage or guess.

Editing for Continuity and Mood

Sync consistent lens corrections and profiles, then adjust per frame. Use HSL to respect natural color arcs while harmonizing saturation so a series feels cohesive yet honest to its unfolding time.

Editing for Continuity and Mood

Split toning and subtle LUTs can gently warm shadows or cool highlights to echo seasonal direction. Avoid gimmicks; aim for the felt truth of air, texture, and light.