Written By: Sauvik Chatterjee
Every season brings in a unique shade over your city or town and winters are no exception. If you decide on going out with your camera on a winter morning, you might see a fog-covered street and it is a challenge to shoot in that condition. Here are a few tips for you to overcome a challenge like fog photography.
Keep a close eye on your weather app
Fogs do not occur exclusively in winters. In any woodland area, you might find fog in the summer after the area experiences heavy rainfall. Generally, fog occurs when the temperature is low at night and it spikes up gradually in the morning. Almost every weather app would show you the humidity level, so look out for anything above 90 % humidity and check if the temperature will reach the dew point. This kind of ideal situation mostly occurs in spring and autumn.
Using Manual focus will help
The color/contrast which you usually see gets covered with a layer of grey when there is a fog and this change, in contrast, gets so low at times that your autofocus won’t work. This is the time when you have to utilize your skills with manual focus. You won’t get to see deep shadows or harsh highlights while doing fog photography, though this could change if the sun’s rays pierce through the fog. The grey color also gets muted due to the low saturation level. So, a manual focus is the best way to take pictures in foggy weather.
Find out the focal length
A wide-angle lens scatters the components of a frame further while a telephoto lens makes a scene look more packed, so it is difficult for a photographer to choose a certain lens. When the fog is dense, it is advisable to use a shorter lens as this will help keep the subject visible. If there is a light fog then a telephoto lens would help emphasize the atmosphere more.
Sun rays in fog is a blessing
Sun rays and fog is like a match made in heaven for any photographer. If you spot sun rays piercing through a fog then be quick to capture that heavenly sight. It is a rare sight to see because sun rays quickly evaporate the mist. You can get to know the location you are shooting a bit better and set your camera at a certain spot to get more time to shoot.
Take care of your gear
Take it for granted that you and your gear would get wet in a fog because of high humidity. So, to protect your camera use a plastic bag to carry it in between shots. While you are shooting, it would be wise to keep a cloth over your camera to protect it from dew.
Post-processing is essential
The pictures which you take in fog will lack contrast and saturation so don’t panic when you see that the pictures look washed out during editing. As the fog grows, the highlights and shadows will be fewer and thus your pictures will look flat. You have to touch upon a few things in post-processing to make your pictures look good.
As a photographer, you should try to experience all sorts of climate and weather. This will enhance your skills as a photographer and you can fill your album with unique photographs. You will surely get beautiful photographs while journeying in a fog and these tips would help you get the best results.
Written By: Sauvik Chatterjee