The arrival of the fog can be something as uncertain as it is stimulating. Despite the fact that fog can seem like a meteorological phenomenon like any other, the reality is that, if you know how to take advantage of it, it can be a great ally in your search for the perfect photograph.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to go out on a foggy day photo safari, you may not understand the opportunities you are missing. While it is true that it is difficult to predict when a day will or will not dawn with fog, you had better be prepared by the time that day arrives.
That is why, in today’s article, I bring you 10 tips and tricks so that the next time there is fog in your city, you are ready to make the most of it and if you don’t want to wait for it to arrive on its own, you can also I will teach you how to simulate it. Are you ready? But first, if what you want is to delve into the nature photography, I present our mega guide, with tips, tricks and lots of inspiration.
Why do these types of photographs attract so much attention?
Because fog is a phenomenon that, although it may not seem like it, is very rare. Let’s take London for example: this beautiful city is known for being one of the ones with the most foggy days per year. How many? Approximately 20 foggy days per year. This is why fog photography is not as common as you might imagine despite the fact that incredible photographs have been taken taking advantage of this natural phenomenon.
What makes it so interesting? As a photographer, you have surely trained or are in the process of training your eyes to capture those situations that, thanks to their particular lighting, inspire you to pick up your camera and take magnificent photos. One of the most particular situations to be able to find that great photo is, without a doubt, foggy days.
Contrary to what it may seem to you, the a priori adverse weather conditions are usually the best opportunities to take incredible photographs and fog, being a rare phenomenon that modifies the light and the feeling of the atmosphere of a scene, can become the perfect setting for you to capture your next great photograph.
“Don’t miss any opportunity to take a great picture”
light on a foggy day
On days where the fog is present, the lighting in the environment is so dim that it is very difficult, depending on its thickness, to draw the shadows that we would be used to on a sunny day. This type of light is known as “soft light” since the boundary between light and shadow is very diffuse, tenuous and even almost imperceptible.
The fog works as a great diffuser of the rays of light that come from the sun (which cause hard light on a sunny day), softening them and causing them to scatter in all directions.
hard light
Soft light
This makes the light much less intense reducing not only visibility but also the sharpness and contrast of all elements in the scene. At the same time, the colors become paler and less saturated. If you want to learn more about the different types of ambient light and available light, I recommend that you read the following article: “23 Ways To Use Light As A Creative Element (For When You Are Not Inspired)”.
Take advantage of the atmosphere that is generated thanks to it and go out to take some impressive and mysterious photographs.
The atmosphere it creates
Fog is a magical phenomenon that envelops everything that is in its path and charges it with an unparalleled emotion and mystery that, if you combine it with the sunlight that manages to filter through it, incredible tones, faint shadows will appear before you. and colors that will help you create an incredible atmosphere, worthy of being portrayed.
Whether it is a landscape or the street of a city, they are not the same sensations that you will be able to transmit if you take a photograph in broad daylight on a clear day, than if you take it first thing in the morning on a foggy day.
The lack of contrast and color saturation result in photographs with more pastel or “washed” tones that will allow you to convey feelings of mystery, isolation or, why not, sadness.
Fog is a source of inexhaustible inspiration, you just have to be ready so that, upon its unpredictable arrival, you can make the most of it. On a foggy day you will have endless situations without even having to move a lot.
But, without intense light, or saturation, without contrast and poor sharpness, how can we enhance the feeling of environment and place?
Just taking pictures on foggy days won’t magically make them spectacular. Actually, the feeling of atmosphere that you can convey through a photograph is achieved thanks to both the vapor in the environment as well as the light that filters through it and, therefore, the colors that can be perceived in the scene. In order to get the most out of them, make sure you choose the right white balance to enhance the light in the scene, whether it’s warm or rather cold and gloomy. Don’t forget to shoot in RAW or digital negative format so that you can correct the balance in post production without altering the quality of the resulting image.
At the same time, being an atmospheric phenomenon, if you include a part of the sky in your photographs, you will be able to greatly reinforce the sensations that your photos will transmit to the viewer, especially that of atmosphere. A photograph on a foggy day that does not show part of the sky or some clouds can convey more confinement or suffocation than the sensation we are looking for.
Another fundamental factor is blur. The brighter your lens, the greater the blurring of the backgrounds, which will help you enhance your messages in your foggy photographs. You’ll be able to achieve that sense of continuity and infinity as the mist-shrouded background changes from a cloud to a desolate white wasteland.
10 tips and tricks for stunning fog photography
As I have mentioned before, the fog can help you enhance the sensations to be transmitted to the viewer and reinforce that mysterious message that these types of photographs usually carry. But keep in mind that the fog is just one more condition that you can enhance in order to translate the photographs you have in your head into “real” photos that everyone can appreciate. How to get the most out of it? Paying attention to the following tips:
1. Experiment with very slow speeds: long exposure photography on foggy days can give you more than one satisfaction. Long exposures, although they can produce blurred photographs, if you use them on a foggy day, as it moves through the scene, it will produce a very particular effect, ideal for enhancing the mystery in a scene. On the contrary if you shoot with faster speeds, the photos will be sharper and more realistic, but more static and predictable.
2. Get the most out of the light beams: When sunlight, a lantern, billboard or shop window manage to pass through the cloud of particles that make up the fog, you will be able to appreciate a phenomenon that rarely occurs. A simple streetlight with a bit of fog can make a great subject for a photograph.
3. Play with the Silhouettes: when the light is diffused by the fog, it acts as a large light box, it will highlight the contrast of all those elements that are against the light of it, but only in its outline. You can emphasize the shape of a subject by using mist as a background. This way you can easily identify your protagonist.
4. Exploit the lack of depth: On foggy days, visibility is considerably reduced, not to mention if it is very thick. The denser the fog, the less depth we will be able to transmit with our camera. Why? Simple, because the background will be covered in fog. On foggy days, exploit this resource to the fullest in order to achieve unique photographs.
5. Make a good metering and exposure: The measurement of ambient light and exposure when taking a picture is essential and even more so on foggy days. The lack of contrast that this produces can confuse your camera’s light meter into thinking that “there is more light than there really is”. If you plan to go out to take photos on a foggy day, forget about using the automatic or semi-automatic modes and encourage yourself to shoot in manual mode. How? Before the next haze arrives, take a look at the following article: “Detailed Guide: How to Make a Correct Measurement and Exposure in Your Photos”.
6. Avoid the use of flash: yes, you read correctly, the flash on foggy days can become your worst enemy unless you are looking for a particular effect, such as a high-key photograph. Firing the flash of your camera on a foggy day will undoubtedly be counterproductive. The only thing you will achieve is, with the flash, to illuminate the fog that surrounds you, overexposing your photographs. If you don’t have an external flash and the ability to fire it from far away, avoid firing the flash.
7. Get the juice out of venue lights: Take advantage of each and every one of the possible sources of light that you can come across while you walk through your city with your camera in hand. Try to focus on the lights and how they filter through the fog slowly reaching everything in their path. If you walk a little you will realize that the lights are very intense in their focus but their light quickly fades in the fog, so you should not be afraid of overexposing the lights a little in order to achieve a correct exposure in the rest. of the scene
8. The contrast will be minimal: As I told you before, the fog will subtract a lot of color and contrast from your photographs, making it difficult to appreciate the details of the objects present in them. Turn this lack of contrast into an opportunity to reinforce the message you want to convey. When composing your photos, remember that outlines and silhouettes will give you better results than trying to maximize detail.
9. Don’t forget your tripod: In any situation where the available light is scarce, you will be forced to reduce the shutter speed to the minimum possible in order to achieve correct exposures. The slower the shutter speed, the greater the risk of blurring as a result. So now you know, if you have a tripod handy, take it with you. If you don’t have one, you can always make it yourself: “DIY Photography: How to Assemble Homemade Photographic Accessories”.
10. Fear not for your camera: Although it is true that the fog is made up of microscopic water particles, it is very unlikely that your camera will be affected in its operation as a result of these. Don’t be afraid to go out with your camera to take pictures on foggy days, since the chances of it being ruined are almost nil. Of all…