Fog photography: a step-by-step guide

It's amazing how many photographers put their cameras away the moment the fog descends. While the sun is lost and there's minimal visibility, photography in fog can provide some fantastic results. 

The fog paints our world in a new way, providing a completely different interpretation of the structures surrounding us and a rather rare opportunity to photographically record the world in fog's hues. 

Fog-draped scenes can make for some of the moodiest landscape photography, whether urban, rural or coastal. Details and clutter are all removed, and the scene is reduced to a simple monochromatic outline, often changing what was previously a crowded over-complicated view into something quite simple and magical. 

Fog photography works in a rather different way from normal, to see and interpret the world differently and to visualise and capture scenes with techniques they may only use a little in other lighting conditions. 

Here you'll find plenty of fog photography tips and ideas to help you create some wonderful images. 

 

Getting started with fog photography 

So what are the main things to look out for in fog? What main features can we use to our advantage to create stunning and unique photography? 

Although the infinitely variable nature of fog will support or hinder certain types of composition, it is certainly possible to make some generalisations about what to expect and to look for in any fog.

These include:

• Colour will be lost or at least greatly reduced, so most images shot in fog will be monochromatic, or at least close to it
• Surface details will usually be removed, so photography of any structure will be largely about its outline, its shape, and not its details
• The background will be lost, or at least greatly reduced, doing away with a lot of clutter that might otherwise be distracting and thus hugely simplifying what might otherwise be a crowded and complicated scene
• Visibility will be greatly reduced, making long-distance views impossible, but opening up—especially in combination with the minimal background—great possibilities for photography of close and (possibly) middle-distance subjects
• Lighting will be quite flat and even, so there will be few, if any, shadows and highlights

In short, much of the photography that works well in fog is minimalist, concentrating on simple close subjects that stand out from the blank background through their wonderfully striking outline shapes.

Related: The ultimate guide to using patterns in photography

 

Some general foggy weather techniques

There's no requirement for specialised equipment for photography in the fog: your camera body and a couple of zoom lenses will do the job. 

Light levels will often be low, so a tripod is a good idea, and you may find it essential in many situations. With lighting often flat and even, you will probably not need to use neutral-density graduated filters (ND grads) to reduce the contrast range across the scene. 

However, if some sunlight is visible filtering through the fog, then an ND grad filter may come in handy to darken the brighter upper part of the scene. 

With no horizon likely visible through the fog, a soft ND-grad, with its gradual transition from clear to dark, is more effective than a sharp transitioning hard filter.

With much of the scene enveloped in a grey or off-white translucent blanket, the in-camera exposure meter is likely to under-expose the images somewhat due to its tendency to want to produce everything in mid-tones. 

Although modern meters are less inclined to do this than used to be the case, it is still something to look out for, and if you find this happening, then correct it simply by over-exposing a little.

If shooting in a fully or semi-automatic mode, you can use the camera's exposure compensation feature to increase exposure above that recommended by the in-camera meter. 

Anyone shooting in fully manual mode must select either a slower shutter speed or a wider lens aperture. It shouldn't be necessary to increase exposure by more than one stop, for example, reducing shutter speed from 1/60 sec to 1/30 sec or increasing lens aperture from, say, f/11 to f/8. Such changes represent a doubling of the amount of light coming through to the camera's sensor.

 

Different subjects in different types of fog

Of course, fog comes in several forms and with numerous causes. Without wanting to get bogged down in detail, some differences are useful in understanding some of the subject matter that should be possible with each type of fog.

The different types of fog range from the light gossamer veil typical of morning ground mist, through estuary or sea fog, to simply low cloud—often accompanied by wind and rain—typically found blanketing the hilly country. 

Besides the latter, fog is usually (though not always) present in windless conditions, which greatly helps with any fog photography that includes vegetation, particularly when long exposure times are needed.

In a thick fog of any sort, the absence of sunlight results in even lighting in whichever direction the camera is pointing. Landscape features (or urban scenes) may look extremely muted, if not simply dull, but you should overcome any temptation to let that put you off.

Seek out great close compositions: the outline of a tree, a single, angular branch, or a big jagged rock, for example, subjects that by themselves and set against the blank foggy canvas create a superb two-dimensional outline shape and image composition. 

In such images, there will be a little background to worry about and a little foreground to create any sense of depth and three dimensions. This is just about a two-dimensional shape.

Things change somewhat in situations where some sun is visible, filtering through the fog. The view and the light will be quite different depending on which way the camera is pointing, with some possible shadows and muted colours. 

With the sun heavily filtered and greatly reduced in strength, some superb images can be created shooting towards the sunlight, the sun visible as a soft white disc in a grey sky, and foreground subjects highlighted as silhouettes. 

Because the fog is likely to be relatively thin, there is some visibility into a moderate distance, allowing for some sense of depth. 

The foreground silhouetted image subjects are set against not only the sun but also more distant and often barely visible background components. These will help set the scene and context while being sufficiently muted, and they don't compete for attention.

Related: The essential features of every digital camera

 

The beauty of ground mist

The above scenario is typical of early morning ground mist (or river valley mist), a scenario that often lends itself to some truly beautiful photography. 

Since ground mist or fog, by its nature, sits close to the ground, photography can become even more wonderful if you can get yourself above the mist blanket and shoot across a literal 'sea' of cloud. 

The result will be a stunning view of muted landscape features, much of it at least partially hidden, with the taller elements rising above the fog, lit by the sun above.

The traditional way to achieve views from above-ground fog has always been to find a conveniently placed hill to climb. Still, today those with a drone can fly their camera above it just about anywhere, provided the uppermost level of the fog is below the legal maximum height they can fly at.

The big problem with ground mist is that it is often quite fleeting, generally found early in the morning, dissipating quickly once the warming sun is up. 

So, it is the early bird that catches this one. It will linger in very cold weather, especially if the temperature remains below freezing. 

Of course, this then opens up the possibility of photography in fog and the world coated in a white frost, hopefully glittering if sunlight is also able to filter through.

 

Predicting the fog

One final important skill in fog photography is knowing how to predict when and where fog is likely to form. It is an imprecise science, at least from the photographer's perspective, but anything you can do to help get you in the right place at the right time has to help. 

When it comes to a fog that consists largely of low clouds blanketing higher hills, it is not difficult to predict. Just watch the weather forecast for the approach of a low-pressure system and then head for some high hills. 

Unfortunately, this approach comes with rain and wind, so photography is only sometimes convenient.

Most other forms of fog, usually without wind and rain, resulting from the collision of warm with cold; often in both instances air, but sometimes warm air over cold water, or vice versa. 

Warm air can hold a lot more water vapour than cold air can manage, with the result that, at the boundary where the two meet, warm air adjacent to cold cools down, releasing its water vapour. And voilà, you have fog!

The same can happen with a water/air boundary, whether the surface of the sea, a river or a lake. Warm air coming in over really cold water can result in a layer of fog across the water's surface as the warm air in contact with the water cools down, releasing its water vapour. 

The reverse can also happen, with warm water releasing the vapour into a layer of cold air, resulting in a blanket of fog.

When it comes to early morning ground mist, this is usually formed as a result of water vapour rising off the extremely wet ground and then condensing as it hits very cold air over it. 

The ideal conditions for creating this include heavy rain the day before, followed by a very cold, cloudless and still night. The subsequent dawn should produce some stunning ground mist views, though it's a very imprecise science. 

Nevertheless, being aware of this kind of guideline should help you get into the right place in time to catch what can often be quite fleeting views. 

Related: The ultimate guide to snow photography

 

Capturing those foggy scenes

Half the battle to successful fog photography is knowing how to put yourself in the right place at the right time and then knowing what to look out for by way of subject matter and compositions. 

Being fore-armed in this way will help you avoid wasting precious time searching out locations and compositions, which results in missing the moment. 

Admittedly, you will still need to scout out good locations even once you've learned everything about the creation of great fog photography within it.

These places contain what you think will form great compositions and are likely to be subject to fog in the right conditions. Do this in clear weather as far as possible, and then be ready to head for them the moment the fog descends. Be ready, be prepared, and then get shooting!

 

This blog was written by Nigel Hicks, a hugely experienced Devon-based professional photographer. Nigel works with the USA's prestigious National Geographic Image Collection, among many other bodies, and is a Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography.

Nigel Hicks runs regular photography workshops in southwest England. To find out more about these go to www.nigelhicks.com/photography-workshops-courses/.

To find out more about Nigel's work, feel free to take a tour of the website at www.nigelhicks.com.