There's a lot to like about fall-cooler temperatures, crisp air, the anticipation of upcoming holidays. For our eyes, though, the best thing may be the rainbow of foliage colors as the leaves change and fall. It's a great time to be out taking pictures and with a little extra planning and a few tips, your photos can be even better.

First, because you're going to be shooting good color and want it to really pop, consider changing the scene mode, or your camera's picture control settings. When you take a picture, your digital camera collects the information off the sensor and processes it for color, contrast, saturation and other properties. With newer Nikon digital cameras those choices can be found in the Picture Control menu. Older Nikon digital cameras have those settings in the Optimize Image menu. Whichever you have, the camera is probably set for "Standard," "Neutral" or "Normal." Consider changing it to "Vivid" to get a bit more contrast and saturation. This will make your photos more colorful.

When you find a colorful patch of leaves that you want to shoot, stop and think about your composition. Find a tree that has leaves you like, then walk around it, looking for a small grouping that really catches your eye. See how the light changes as you walk around the tree. That can result in highlighting a leaf, silhouetting it or bringing it out in relief against the background.

And as you're walking around, don't forget to look down. There could be some beautiful scenes at your feet. As before, look for one leaf, or just a few, that really stand out. If you find one you like, but don't like where it is (perhaps on a sidewalk or the street), go ahead and move it to a better spot.

Then consider getting so close to it that you're only photographing part of it. Everyone will still know it's a leaf, but now you'll be able to see its details clearly.

If you are using a COOLPIX camera, try setting it to the Macro mode for a really tight shot. Depending upon your model of camera, you might be able to get mere inches away from your subject for a really unique view.

Remember too, to include other objects in your photo for added interest. Look for a canopy of trees that a walker or cyclist may be passing under, or the saturated swatches of color contrasted against a bright blue sky. The more variety you look for in your photos, the more chances you'll have to make something really special.