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One of my favourite autumn spots which we have visited in Australia - Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden in Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. Autumn colours always look amazing there and it felt like being inside a fairytale when we visited it again in the fall earlier this year. There is just something really magical about it. The pond is a great feature and the scenery looks fantastic from almost any angle.

When we went to Victoria earlier this year, I had planned to visit this garden again. I had great memories from our visit a few years ago and made sure that we had time set aside for another wonder around. I do not think that a place like this ever looks exactly the same. There is always something different, whether it is the amount or range of colours, their tonality, the light and whether, they always create a different experience. It was very much the case here with the leaves having a more orange hue than the prevalent yellow of our previous visit. There were more leaves scattered on the ground and in the pond which created different textures and changed the mood of the scene. This time we went there later in the autumn season and that also made an impact.

This particular spot is also a favourite of mine. It offers a good range of compositions. I could focus on every element separately - bridge, trees, smaller bridge, reflections - or I could take in the grand view of it all and admire its entire intricate nature. The latter is exactly what I chose for this photo. I took one before which focused more on the middle section of this scene but this time I loved the big array of colours and decided to go with a wider perspective. I was really enchanted by the display to foliage this late into the season. Overcast day was exactly what I was hoping for as well. The light was on the softer side and there was only a gentle wind present which meant that the leaves and water surface remained mostly still and peaceful. Visiting during the week allowed us to enjoy this scenery almost alone and uninterrupted.

What I also like about in Australia at this time of the year (in areas where it is of course possible) is that there is a chance to to see autumn trees mixing up with other less obvious varieties. In this view you can see a few green ferns around the place and for me they add another dimension to the scene. I like the way they form a kind of base from which the colourful foliage rises up and they also allow for good colour separation. Talking of colour separation, this is another aspect of composition, and then post processing, which I have been working on in my photography. Long time ago I would just look for the most colourful, most saturated yellow/orange/red autumn scenery. Now, I try to find a good mix of tones, including cooler greens to break up the scene and thus increase natural contrast and depth. I then work with individual tones in post processing to build on that foundation. I might have mentioned already that I start with very flat looking images and then build them up slowly to produce the final result. Colour adjustments and grading have become an integral part of the process.

In terms of exposure, it was a single frame. The light was very uniform throughout the scene and even though I did take multiple exposures, they were not required. The dynamic range of cameras these days makes scenes like this really easy to expose, and there is no drama if there are few darker shadows, as long as I take care not to blow out the highlights. I described earlier that it was an overcast day and that prevented the strong sunlight from penetrating through the trees and creating harsh bright spots. One of the considerations I had as I composed the shot was to minimise the amount of bight sky in the frame so that I did not end up with too many blank spots.

I hope you are enjoying this recent photographic journey I am taking you on, moving from autumn to winter to autumn again and finding some moodier scenes along the way. Sometimes, I look through back on my images and definitely notice the progression into darker and moodier expressions. I think this is exactly the kind of photography I wanted to do when I first started out and I certainly love sharing these photos and my interpretations of the world with you.