Tennessee Fall Color Photography: Finding Colors During Drought
Well, it sure took long enough, but I finally found a place local to me that had some beautiful fall color photo opportunities.
Looking up at the yellow canopy at North Chickamauga Creek WMA, Tennessee. The overcast sky created beautiful soft light filtering through the leaves without harsh shadows. This perspective shows how dense the fall color was in areas where the trees had access to groundwater from the creek. Just a few hundred yards away from the water, everything was brown and crispy from the drought. The lesson? In dry years, forget the open fields and exposed ridges. Find the water and you'll find the colors! Leica SL2 + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS handheld.
Tennessee Weather - Fall Color Photography
This is not something I normally have when it is as dry as it has been recently. Let me explain…
I am no scientist but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn before, so here goes. From what I have seen, there are three different scenarios that usually unfold around here in the fall.
The first event is like this, we get plenty of rain in the spring, it dries out a little in the mid summer months and then it starts to rain in late September or early October. This is actually the best possible scenario from what I can tell…
The second scenario is the same as the first one except the rain turns into a thunderstorm storm with heavy rain and usually high winds during peak color season, knocking all the leaves off of the trees.
Then there is option three, this one is where there is rain in the spring but then it is dry for the entirety of summer and fall. This is the type of season we are in now. There has not been enough rain to matter in two months…maybe more. It is so little water that the creek next to my house has no surface water in it as of this writing.
Of the three events, the first one is the preferred for fall color photos as there is sufficient water for the trees to transition normally to their dormant winter state and you get this incredible color display in the fall. This year though, we have event three where everything is a huge tinderbox and the leaves are simply drying out and turning brown then falling off of the trees without passing through their color phase at all…except…in the few places where there is still ground water to water the trees.
Understanding Tennessee's Three Fall Color Scenarios
I mentioned the three fall scenarios briefly, but let me break them down in more detail since understanding these patterns will help you plan your fall photography:
Scenario 1: The Perfect Year (RARE)
What happens:
Spring rains (March-May) give trees plenty of water to grow
Summer (June-August) dries out a little but not too much
Rain returns in late September or early October
Trees get signal to prepare for winter dormancy
Beautiful color transition over 2-3 weeks
Leaves stay on trees long enough to photograph
Photography result:
Incredible color displays everywhere
Colors last for weeks, not days
Can shoot anywhere, not just near water
This is what you see in all the fall color guides!
We get this maybe 1 out of every 4-5 years
Scenario 2: The Stormy Year (FRUSTRATING)
What happens:
Same as Scenario 1 through summer
Rain returns in late September (good!)
But it comes as thunderstorms with heavy rain and high winds
Leaves start to change color (exciting!)
Then a big storm blows through (devastating!)
All the leaves get knocked off before peak color
Photography result:
You get maybe 3-5 days of good color before the storm
Have to act fast when colors appear
After the storm, just bare trees and leaves on the ground
Extremely frustrating if you had plans for the weekend!
This happens maybe 1 out of every 3-4 years
Scenario 3: The Drought Year (CHALLENGING)
What happens:
Rain in spring (so far so good)
Then dry for entire summer and fall (uh oh)
No rain in September or October
Trees are stressed and trying to survive
Leaves dry out and turn brown without color phase
Everything becomes a tinderbox
Exception: Places with groundwater still have colors!
Photography result:
Most locations are brown and crispy, no color
Have to find water sources (creeks, rivers, springs)
Limited locations but concentrated color where water exists
Requires more scouting and research
This is what we had this year (2023)
How to adapt:
Scenario 1: Shoot anywhere, you can't go wrong!
Scenario 2: Have a plan ready, shoot as soon as colors appear
Scenario 3: Follow the water (like I did at North Chickamauga Creek)
The key is recognizing which scenario you're in and adjusting your strategy accordingly. Don't wait for "perfect conditions" that might not come!
A red maple tree standing out in a sea of yellow at North Chickamauga Creek WMA near Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. This was the first scene that greeted me when I started looking for fall colors! After weeks of drought with everything turning brown, finding this color contrast felt like discovering gold. The key during dry years? Follow the water. This gorge has a creek running through it (barely flowing, but still there!), which gave the trees enough water to transition to their fall colors normally. Shot handheld with Leica SL2 + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS. The overcast light saturated the colors without creating harsh shadows!
Fall Color Photography Secret… Follow the Water
Enter North Chickamauga Creek WMA near Soddy Daisy Tennessee. This is a small WMA (Wildlife Management Area) situated in a gorge next to Mowbray mountain and is a popular spot for the locals to cool off in the summertime in the river. Well, the river is just a brook at this point and is barely moving at all, BUT it is there! If you watch my YouTube video on it you will see what I mean. Even so, there is still enough water to feed the trees so they had a fall color change.
Since I found some colors this year, I now had to figure out what I wanted to use to capture all this color with. I finally settled on my camera being the Leica SL2 as it has a high resolution sensor and several other features that lend itself to being a wonderful landscape photography camera. You see the Leica SL2 is a mirrorless camera so it can be adapted to various vintage lenses really easily and we all know how I love using vintage lenses! So today’s lens of choice for the Leica is the Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AiS. This is one of Nikon’s crowning achievements in lens design as it was as close to optical perfection as they had ever gotten to that point. So naturally I used this lens.
The magic of the Leica SL2 as well is that it has IBIS on the sensor. This basically turns all my vintage lenses into stabilized lenses. I know there are a ton of other cameras that also have these same features but I just like the Leica SL2 for some reason.
Now that the camera setup is settled, next is finding the photo I want. I started out looking for macro level images, vistas and scenes, then I moved in closer to get more detailed image ideas. The first one is shown above of the red maple tree in a sea of yellow. Then I moved to the river bed and found some wonderful colors out in the open.
Looking upstream at North Chickamauga Creek near Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. This is literally what greeted me when I entered the river bottom. Not much water (you can see how low the creek was during this drought!), but the color splash from the trees was incredible! The boulders in the creek bed created great foreground interest, and the overcast sky provided soft, even light that made the colors pop without blown highlights. Shot handheld with Leica SL2 + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS at f/8. I love the texture and color in this image! So much detail from the rocks to the leaves to the trees. The 28mm wide angle let me include the entire scene from the creek bed up to the canopy. This is why I walked down into the creek rather than shooting from the trail!
This was literally what I was greeted with when I looked upstream from where I entered the river bottom. Not much water, but I got such a color splash from the trees that I didn’t even care. I would have liked for it to not be overcast, but you take what you can get and work with it. I really love this image too, so much texture and color in one image that is is almost overwhelming. I was really starting to embrace the look that the 28mm lens was giving me and then I decided to move upstream to that large boulder you see in the above photo and get a different perspective from that spot.
The valley perspective looking upstream at North Chickamauga Creek WMA, Tennessee. That little smidgen of sky showing the overcast clouds almost makes it otherworldly or something like that! I was blown away with this image when I got it into Lightroom and could see it better. It almost doesn't look real back up in the valley next to the sky. The clouds were epic! Shot handheld from a large boulder I scrambled up to for this perspective. Leica SL2 + Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS, no tripod. The IBIS (in-body image stabilization) let me shoot this at 1/15s handheld and get sharp results. There's something to be said for simplicity - one camera, one lens, no backpack or tripod. Just me and the landscape!
Fall Color Photography and Moody Skies
The little smidgen of sky showing the over cast clouds almost makes it otherworldly or something like that. I was blown away with this image when I got it into Lightroom and was able to see it better. It almost doesn’t look real back up in the valley next to the sky. The clouds were epic! This is also shot hand held with the 28mm lens. What is nice is that it allowed me to be very agile and not have the burden of the back pack and a tripod with me at all. There is something to be said for simplicity…
Frequently Asked Questions About Fall Color Photography in Tennessee
When is peak fall color season in Tennessee?
It depends on where you are in the state! In East Tennessee (mountains), peak fall colors usually hit mid-to-late October. In Middle Tennessee (Chattanooga area and surrounding), you're looking at late October into early November. But here's the thing that most people don't realize: the actual timing depends more on rainfall and temperature than it does on the calendar! If we get a drought like we had this year, the trees just skip the color phase entirely and go straight to brown. If we get too much rain with high winds during peak season, all the leaves get knocked off before you can shoot them. The "perfect" fall color year requires rain in spring, a slightly dry summer, then rain returning in late September or early October. That's when you get the incredible color display that lasts for a couple weeks!
Why do some years have better fall colors than others?
Water! It all comes down to water and how the trees are stressed. I'm no scientist, but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn before, so here goes, lol. Trees need sufficient water to transition normally to their dormant winter state. When they have the right amount of water, they go through that beautiful color change we all love photographing. But when it's too dry (like this year with two months or more of no rain), the leaves just dry out and turn brown without passing through the color phase at all. It's basically a huge tinderbox and the trees are just trying to survive, not put on a show for photographers! That's why you need to find the water sources during dry years. Wherever there's still groundwater feeding the trees (creeks, rivers, springs), those trees will still change color even when everything else is brown.
Where can you find fall colors in Tennessee during a drought?
Follow the water! During dry years like this one, you need to find places where there's still water feeding the trees. Creek beds, river gorges, wildlife management areas near water sources, anywhere with groundwater. For me, North Chickamauga Creek WMA near Soddy Daisy Tennessee saved the day! The creek was barely flowing (just a brook at that point), but there was enough water to keep the trees happy. They had a beautiful fall color change while everything else around the area was brown and crispy. Other good bets: Ocoee River area, any of the gorges in the Cumberland Plateau, state parks with creeks or waterfalls, and anywhere in the Smoky Mountains (they usually have better water retention). Just look for blue on the map and you'll probably find color!
What camera settings work best for fall color photography?
I shot this whole session handheld with the Leica SL2 and Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS lens, so here's what worked for me: aperture priority mode (let the camera pick the shutter speed), probably f/5.6 to f/11 for landscape depth of field, ISO auto (camera adjusted based on light), and I relied heavily on IBIS (in-body image stabilization) since I wasn't using a tripod. For fall colors specifically, you don't want to overexpose or you'll blow out the bright yellows and reds. I tend to expose for the highlights and let the shadows fall where they may, then I can lift them a bit in Lightroom if needed. Shoot RAW so you have flexibility with white balance (overcast days can look weird if you don't adjust). And honestly? Just set it and forget it so you can focus on composition rather than fiddling with settings!
Do you need a tripod for fall color photography?
Not if you have IBIS! I deliberately left the tripod and backpack at the truck because I wanted to be agile and explore without the burden of extra gear. The Leica SL2 has in-body image stabilization which basically turns all my vintage lenses into stabilized lenses. This means I can shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds without camera shake. There's something to be said for simplicity, especially when you're walking a creek bed or scrambling around on boulders like I was doing. That said, if you don't have IBIS or you're shooting in really low light, a tripod will give you sharper images. But for bright overcast days like this? Handheld is totally fine and way more enjoyable!
What's the best lens for fall color photography?
Wide angle! I used the Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS for this session and it was perfect. Wide angle lenses (24mm, 28mm, 35mm) let you include the environment and context around the colors. You can get the creek bed, the trees, the sky, the boulders, everything in one frame. Plus, when you're in a gorge or tight space, a wide lens is the only way to get the whole scene. That said, bring a longer lens too if you want to isolate individual trees or compress distant ridgelines. But if I had to pick just one lens for fall color photography? 28mm is my sweet spot. It's wide enough for landscapes but not so wide that you get too much distortion on the edges.
Is vintage lens photography good for landscape work?
Absolutely! The Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AiS I used is one of Nikon's crowning achievements in lens design. It was as close to optical perfection as they had ever gotten to that point. Vintage lenses often have character that modern lenses lack (slightly warmer rendering, interesting flare characteristics, smooth bokeh), and they're sharp enough for landscape work when you stop them down to f/5.6 or f/8. The best part? They're cheap! You can get incredible vintage glass for $100-300 that would cost you $1,000+ in a modern equivalent. Just make sure your camera can adapt them (the Leica SL2 is perfect for this with its short flange distance), and you're good to go. Oh, and IBIS makes vintage lenses even better since they don't have built-in stabilization!
What time of day is best for shooting fall colors?
Honestly? Overcast days like I had are actually ideal for fall color photography! Direct sunlight creates harsh shadows and blown highlights on the bright leaves. Overcast light is soft, even, and it lets the colors really saturate without fighting crazy contrast. That said, early morning and late afternoon (golden hour) can be magical if you want warm light on the trees. Avoid midday harsh sun if you can. For this shoot, the overcast clouds were epic and made the colors pop without any harsh shadows. It almost looked otherworldly! So don't skip shooting just because it's cloudy. Embrace it!
How do you compose fall color photos without them looking like every other fall photo?
Great question! I try to find specific elements to anchor the composition rather than just pointing at a bunch of colorful trees. For this session, I looked for: (1) the red maple tree in a sea of yellow (color contrast!), (2) the creek bed with boulders as a leading line through the frame, (3) the valley perspective looking upstream with that little smidgen of sky, and (4) textures and layers (water, rocks, leaves, trees, sky). The key is to have a subject or a story, not just "look, it's colorful!" Find a foreground element, use the colors as supporting cast, and compose with intention. Also, get low! I was walking in the creek bed and scrambling on boulders to get different perspectives. Don't just stand on the trail and shoot at eye level like everyone else!
What are the three fall color scenarios in Tennessee?
From what I've seen, there are three different scenarios that usually unfold around here:
Scenario 1 (BEST): Plenty of rain in spring, dries out a little mid-summer, then rain returns in late September or early October. This gives you incredible color displays that last for weeks! The trees have enough water to transition normally to dormancy and you get the full spectrum of reds, oranges, and yellows.
Scenario 2 (WORST): Same as Scenario 1 except the rain turns into thunderstorms with heavy rain and high winds during peak color season. This knocks all the leaves off the trees before you can photograph them. Super frustrating!
Scenario 3 (CHALLENGING): Rain in spring but then dry for the entirety of summer and fall. This is what we had this year. Everything becomes a huge tinderbox and the leaves simply dry out and turn brown without passing through their color phase at all... except in the few places where there's still groundwater to feed the trees. That's when you have to get creative and find the water!
BONUS QUESTION: What's North Chickamauga Creek WMA like for photography?
North Chickamauga Creek WMA near Soddy Daisy Tennessee is a hidden gem! It's a small Wildlife Management Area situated in a gorge next to Mowbray Mountain. Locals use it to cool off in the river during summertime, but in fall it's perfect for photography! The gorge creates interesting light and the creek provides water for the trees even during drought years. When I shot this, the river was barely moving (just a brook, really), but there was still enough water to feed the trees so they had beautiful fall color change. Easy to access, not too crowded, and if you walk the creek bed you'll find tons of compositions. Just be careful on the rocks, they can be slippery! If you watch my YouTube video about it you'll see what I mean.
So in summary, if you want to find fall colors even when it has been really dry, find the water. Where ever there is water, there will be fall colors. At least that is what I have seen, your mileage may vary.
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