You don’t need specialist gear, but you do need enough light and a plan.

To freeze falling leaves, use a fairly fast shutter speed—around 1/250 sec is a good starting point. Open the aperture as wide as your kit lens allows and raise ISO if needed. If you want the leaves sharp in a specific spot, pre-focus on that area rather than relying on autofocus.

Flash can help a lot. A flash burst is very effective for stopping motion, and off-camera or side lighting can make the leaves stand out better. Strong backlight can also work if you want a more atmospheric look.

A practical approach is to stage it: focus on a spot about half a meter or so in front of you, then toss leaves through that area and shoot bursts. This gives you much more control than waiting for random leaves to fall where you want.

So: fast shutter, widest aperture, enough light, and pre-focus. Flash is helpful but not mandatory.