On the way to work this morning there was some pretty serious fog covering most of Toronto. Fog can be a beautiful and atmospheric addition to any photo but there are definitely some key things you need to know about shooting in the haze. Your two biggest issues will be loss of contrast and desaturation of colour. Follow our tips below to make sure you make the most of the next foggy morning.
1) Create some depth: fog appears more obvious the further away from you it is. As a result, things off in the distance will lose colour saturation as well as contrast more than objects in the foreground. Position yourself so that you are standing far back enough to include nice colourful or sharp items in your foreground with the background fading into the mist.
Photo by Jim Richardson, http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/sunlight-fog-spain/
2) Over expose 1 to 2 stops: shooting fog is like shooting snow- your camera thinks you have a lot more light than you actually do even when you get your light meter in the middle, your shot will come out grey. As a rule of thumb, intentionally over expose about 1 to 2 stops.
Photo by James W.Terman, http://www.jtermanphoto.com/
3) Find a light source: Since fog makes everything so flat, finding a dramatic light source will add some drama to your scene. Street lamps or catching the sun at a good angle can help to emphasize the haziness of fog in a very moody way.
Photo by Danny Schweers, http://www.dannyschweers.com/foggy-woods/
Shooting in fog? What about snow? What about rain? What about full sun? Check out our classes and workshops to learn how to handle any weather condition!
