Japanese Maples in Full Color

There can be some challenges while taking autumn colors photos. 

Firstly, the crowds. You can't see it, but there were hundreds, if not thousands of people on the street next to me here outside of Tofukuji Temple. Needless to say, where you point your camera makes a big difference. I find that simply stopping and looking around 360 degrees helps me get in the right mindset to see when I am in a crowded situation. 

Also, trees by themselves rarely make an interesting picture. There needs to be some other element in the photo to anchor it. Here, we have the wall of the temple, which gives it the traditional Japanese quality.  

Finally, the late afternoon lighting really helps with this photo. It would look quite different from the sun overhead at midday. (Photo by Paul Crouse / (KyotoPhotoTours.com)