Reference flights: Hong Kong–Chicago CX806/12:10/13:55 Chicago–Niagara UA1335/18:00/20:47

• Local overview: A natural wonder on the US–Canada border. Autumn cooling changes the riverside vegetation's colors, while mist from the immense drop readily creates rainbows in the low autumn sun. • Photography tip: Terrapin Point toward evening. Use an ND filter and long exposure to contrast silky water with the texture of surrounding red foliage.

• Local overview: A band of long, deep lakes formed by retreating glaciers. Watkins Glen is a photographic highlight, with layered waterfalls between stone walls. Autumn leaves float in its pools, creating a profound atmosphere. • Photography tip: Use a circular polarizer (CPL) to remove glare from wet rocks and enhance red foliage saturation.

• Local overview: The soul of New England autumn. Outdoor billboards are prohibited here, preserving a 19th-century sense of purity. Woodstock has several protected red wooden covered bridges. • Photography tip: Seek out Middle Covered Bridge. Use it as a frame and compose with perspective to photograph the colorful forests beyond.

• Local overview: Classic American countryside. Rolling green hills are surrounded by fiery maple woods, with white church steeples and red barns as visual focal points. • Photography tip: Reach Jenne Farm early to capture the farm's lines in slanting light; photograph Sleepy Hollow Farm's iconic S-shaped curve in the morning.

• Local overview: A starting point of American history. Harvard, MIT, and the banks of the famous Charles River are covered in golden ginkgo and red maple foliage in autumn, creating a strongly academic atmosphere. Red-brick buildings and riverside fall colors form a distinctly scholarly panorama. • Photography tip: Charles River Esplanade. Use a telephoto lens to photograph reflections of MIT or Harvard buildings across the river, framed by colorful woodland.

• Local overview: Photograph Boston's streets early, then travel south to New York in the afternoon. Beacon Hill's red-brick lanes appear particularly soft in morning light. • Photography tip: Acorn Street. Before tourists arrive in the morning, shoot low to capture cobblestone textures with golden-autumn flower boxes lining the street.

• Local overview: A global visual arts center. The Hudson and East rivers provide countless perspectives on skyscrapers. • Photography tip: DUMBO. Capture the classic view of the Empire State Building framed by the Manhattan Bridge's steel cables. City lights are most enchanting at blue hour.

• Local overview: A photographic oasis in Manhattan's center. The famous Mall is lined with hundreds of American elms, forming a magnificent golden avenue in autumn. • Photography tip: Bethesda Terrace's fountain and reflections. Use contrasts of light and shade in the arcade to create photographs with a classic film feel.

• Local overview: Exemplified by the World Trade Center and One Vanderbilt. Modern steel structures and mirrored glass provide excellent material for reflective and geometric compositions. • Photography tip: SUMMIT One Vanderbilt observation deck. Use the fully mirrored environment to create futuristic, surreal inverted city images.

• Local overview: The birthplace of the United States. Red-brick buildings and Revolutionary War sites appear solemn and historic in autumn sunlight. • Photography tip: Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, the Rocky Steps. Look down the long axis of Benjamin Franklin Parkway to photograph the city's orderly structure.

• Local overview: America's political center. Landmark buildings, including monuments and Capitol Hill, are surrounded by extensive green spaces, where autumn colors complement white marble architecture. • Photography tip: The National Mall. Photograph reflections in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Toward evening, photograph the Jefferson Memorial from the Tidal Basin. Inside the Library of Congress, use a wide-angle lens to capture the lavish dome and galleries, then head to IAD/DCA airport for the return journey.

Suggested flights: Washington–New York CX7609/06:00/07:27 New York–Hong Kong CX841/10:00/14:10+1 day