Here are tips from McClatchy Newspapers for turning autumn vistas into awesome pictures.

¢ Underexpose. Let in too much light and your blue sky looks white, and your beautiful orange leaves will look pale. With a fully automatic camera, focus on the best color in the shot or the background. Then, hold your shutter halfway down and the camera will meter the image, which allows you to expose for the most vivid visual element.

¢ Think outside the frame. If you’re shooting a tree, lie down flat on your back and look at the tree like an ant. That view can be much more interesting. Or: Climb that tree and get a bird’s-eye view. That’s two shots of the same tree that will look like they came from different locations.

¢ Don’t just shoot a tree, shoot through it. Shooting through leaves allows you to get the effects of light and color. As the leaves get sparse, you’ll notice your main subject through them. It’s one way to play with the foreground/background subject matter.

¢ Noon? Nooo. High noon is one of the worst times to shoot. The shadows are too harsh.

¢ Looking for Behind the Lens? Our Journal-World photography feature will return next week.