3 Easy Ways to Take Better End-of-Summer Photos

Here are three easy ways to take better end-of-summer photos and capture this wonderful time when one season is just beginning to slip into the next.

It’s one of my favorite times of the year! The light is beautiful, the days are still warm, but little signs of fall are beginning to appear everywhere. And you don’t need to go anywhere special to find them.

1. Look for Beautiful Late-Summer Light for your end-of-summer photos

There’s something special about the light at the end of a late summer day. It becomes warmer and softer, and even ordinary subjects can suddenly look extraordinary. It’s what I love about taking end-of-summer photos!

But don’t just look toward the sunset. Look at what the light is doing all around you.

When I took this photo of the Naval Academy Bridge over the Severn River, I loved the orange glow along the horizon and the bridge lights coming on.

But what really caught my attention was the warm light coming from behind me. It was lighting the wooden pilings in the water, bringing out their warm color and creating leading lines that draw your eye into the photograph.

The next time you see beautiful evening light, turn around. Look to your left and right to see what that light is touching.

Sometimes the best photo isn’t where you expected it to be. Being watchful will help you take better photos!

And did you look closely? Did you see the tiny crescent moon just above the trees?

Later in the post, I share more about this gorgeous bridge and where to stand to get this shot.

2. Look for Signs of the Changing Season

You don’t need a calendar to tell you summer is winding down. Nature will do it for you.

Look for the first changing leaves, fading flowers, migrating birds and other little clues that fall is on its way.

At first, this looks like a classic summer scene: two chairs beside a lake with a little sailboat waiting offshore.

But look more closely, and you’ll see that the shrubs along the water are already beginning to turn orange.

Those little details help tell the story of this particular moment in time, when it’s still summer, but fall is beginning to peek through. Was it time to close up the lake house, or time to say goodbye to the summer campers? This photo will bring back how you felt.

And sometimes the signs of the changing season are overhead!

So when you’re outside with your camera or iPhone taking end-of-summer photos, pay attention to what’s happening around you. Be sure to listen as well as look. A flock of geese calling overhead may give you only seconds to get the shot.

You don’t have to wait for brilliant fall foliage to photograph the changing season. The story has already begun.

3. Get Close for Better End-of-Summer Photos

Sometimes the smallest thing tells the biggest story.

I could have photographed the whole lawn, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was one brilliant red leaf surrounded by summer-green grass.

That contrast told the story. Summer was still very much here, but this one little leaf was giving me a preview of what was coming next.

This is something you can try anytime you take an end-of-summer photo. When something catches your eye, ask yourself:

What, exactly, made me stop?

Then move closer and make that the subject of your photograph. You may discover that you don’t need the whole scene to tell the story. Sometimes one small detail says it all.

Now It’s Your Turn

Summer isn’t over quite yet!

So grab your iPhone or camera and go looking. Look for beautiful light. Look for the little signs that the season is changing. And don’t forget to get close enough to notice the details.

You don’t have to travel somewhere beautiful or plan a special photo outing. Take a walk around your neighborhood, wander through your backyard, or bring your camera along for your Labor Day weekend.

You may find that some of your favorite end-of-summer photos are waiting right outside your door.

Want to Take Better Photos With the camera that’s with you?

Is it an iPhone? If you’d like to feel more confident using it, iPhone Photography Made Easy will help you discover what your iPhone camera can do, without making photography complicated.

Is it a DSLR or mirrorless camera? Camera Mechanics will have you shooting exciting end-of-summer photos in no time!

And what about that bridge?

Here’s a link to a Wikipedia article about the U.S, Naval Academy Bridge.

And here’s the best place to get an end-of-summer photo of it along the water. Be sure to stay for some dinner, too! Yum!!! Severn Inn