Late Autumn Planter
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I captured this image, Late Autumn Planter, during a crisp afternoon walk in a historic part of the city. This large container garden immediately caught my attention because it was one of the last planters still looking full and alive as the season shifted toward winter. Nestled against a deep, textured brick wall, it created a beautiful contrast between the architectural backdrop and the organic shapes. The mix of dark purple mums, ornamental cabbages and trailing ivy felt like a perfect visual metaphor for the transition from the rich colors of fall to the more subdued tones of winter.
Challenges & Lighting
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The main challenge was the light. The planter was tucked into a recessed entryway and sat in deep shade. It was an overcast day, which softened any harsh highlights but also made the overall scene quite dim. I worked only with natural light, using the soft, diffused sky as a giant overhead softbox. This helped bring out the subtle textures of the cabbages and the velvety quality of the darker foliage, but it required a slightly slower shutter speed to expose the shadows correctly. I had to be very steady hand-holding the camera to avoid motion blur in these low-light conditions.
Gear & Settings
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Camera: Nikon Z6
Lens: NIKKOR Z 24–70mm f/4 S
Approximate settings (from memory):
Focal length: ~50mm
Aperture: f/5.6 (to keep most of the planter in focus)
Shutter speed: 1/80 s
ISO: 800 (to compensate for the low light)
Post-Processing & Color Palette
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In post-processing, my intention was to emphasize the moody, cold feeling of late autumn. Globally, I slightly lowered overall saturation and cooled the white balance to push the image toward a bluer, chillier atmosphere.
The most important work happened in the tone curve. I applied a gentle S-curve to boost midtone contrast, then lifted the black point to create soft, lifted shadows. This “faded blacks” look gives the image a matte, slightly desaturated, film-like character.
In the color tools (HSL/Color Grading), I:
Reduced the saturation of the greens in the ivy and nudged their hue toward yellow/brown so they would feel more autumnal and slightly tired rather than vividly summer-green.
Slightly desaturated the purples/magentas in the mums and dark foliage, while keeping their luminance low to preserve a deep, rich tone without making them too loud.
Added a subtle blue cast to the shadows and a hint of yellow/orange to the highlights in color grading, creating a complementary tension between cool shadows and warmer micro-highlights.
The final image has a subdued, atmospheric color palette where the deep purples and muted greens stand out just enough against the neutral brick and concrete. For me, it captures that quiet, melancholic beauty of the moment when autumn is fading and winter is about to take over.
