Fall foliage photograph tips

There are many wonderful locations to find fall colors in the Sierra Nevada, especially on the eastern side near Bishop. But one of my favorite places to photograph fall foliage is in Hope Valley, which is south of Lake Tahoe near the intersection of Highways 88 and 89.

Check out Bee reporter Matt Kawahara’s story on the preceding pages to get an idea of what makes Hope Valley special. What Kawahara captures in words, I hopefully show in photos on these pages the beauty of Hope Valley in the fall.

The best time of the year for fall foliage is usually toward the end of September through mid-October. Of course, it all depends on the weather. When it gets cold, the leaves begin to dry and turn to color from their normal green.

Because it’s colder at higher altitudes, the first signs of fall foliage will be spotted in the mountains before coming to the valley. Check online for “Sierra Nevada fall foliage” and you’ll find sites and blogs that track when leaves begin to turn and expected peak fall colors for specific locations.

Once you know where and when you want to go, keep a few things in mind to bring back great photographs of fall foliage:

This story was originally published September 2, 2014 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Fall foliage photograph tips ."