Fog is considered as bad weather by most of the people and even photographers consider it as gray and dull and non conducive for shooting. But for me it is all a different story. I love to shoot in the fog and when ever I see fog in the morning through my room window I just jump out of my warm bed and go out for shooting even in sever cold. Shooting in fog and mist is a bit tricky but results are mystic, moody and creative pictures. Here are some important points to keep in mind while shooting in fog:

1) Exposure-  Always shoot one stop over.

Fog looks dull but more reflective and most of the time fool your camera sensor to underexpose. If you shoot at normal program mode then you will end up with dull under exposed pictures. Set manual exposure on your camera and always shoot one stop over for more  dramatic pictures.Bracketing by 1/2 and 1 stop can also work and is more safe. Do not use flash light and shoot in natural light. Flash light just act like a head light in dark and will ruin the overall dreamy effect.

2) Composition –   Keep an Interesting Subject in The foreground

An interesting and strong subject in the foreground will lead the viewer in fading distance and will create a feeling of mystery and illusion. Picture of just fog without any interesting subjects in the foreground are considered worthless.

3) Using Street Lights and vantage point

In urban areas sometime street light can create dramatic effect but that depends upon the thickness and temperature of the fog. A subject emerging out from the fog with lights on back can be a stunning image.Your vantage point is more important, at what angle you are shooting. Head on shots and with angular light with streaks of light gave fine images.  Another important point is that fog is like flowing water and continuously remain in motion. It flows in bumps and lumps so you have to be very clever and selective in shooting.

4) Choice Of Lenses while shooting in fog

My personal choice is medium tele which can produce dramatic effect by moderate compressing effect. But wide angle can also be very useful and creative as you can make your foreground subject more prominent and strong. A long tele may work excellently for a patch of fog on a hill top illuminated by back light with. So choice of lens is very much personal and it depends on your creative ability and choice of situation you exploit. Filters mostly not recommended for fog and may ruin the original effect.

5-Watch out in fog

Shooting in fog is like shooting in rain. So you have to be very careful about your camera. Always keep lens cloth with you and wipe out the mist from your lens front. Take precautionary measure to save your gear to become damp and short circuiting. keep in a small electric air blower to blow out fog around the camera.Do not change lens in fog otherwise it may cause irreparable damage to your gear.

Please enjoy some examples of fog and mist from my album.

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Fog And Mist In December

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A Misty Mystic Morning

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Bridge In The Morning Mist

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Light In Landscape Photography

Some times only light makes the complete landscape picture. It was a chilly winter morning and sky was clear at night, resulting in some frost. With the first streaks of sun light, the frost wafted out into mist and light and sun illuminated the whole scene beyond imagination.

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Upper Naran is beautiful and this point just before the jalkhad looks a piece of heaven.

Best Landscape pictures

While shooting landscapes one must consider for including some interesting foreground to get best landscape pictures. Suppose you  are shooting in a location with extremely dramatic sky. It is very obvious that you are attracted by the sky and may ignore the interest in the foreground. That can be detrimental for your overall picture. Viewer starts from the fore ground and interesting and dramatic foregrounds always lead towards more interesting elements in the picture. Foreground may be a rotten, old log, a big stone, a flowering bush or a  rattling streams with green and sapphire  waters.

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Awesome Landscape Beauty Of Neelum Valley In Pakistan

Taobutt Kashmir Pakista

A interesting character like this lady in red can attract the viewer more than any other element. The color in the foreground is very important. Red color of the lady and of leading fence of the bridge make this image extremely interesting.

Mystic Mood

A walking person in the fog make the whole scene alive. It has created a whole story and viewer remain engage in the scene. An interesting character like the man the scene with face away from the camera have created an impact of illusion for the viewer. He ( the viewer ) entered the picture with the man in the pictures and starts exploration without finding the the way. This is the beauty of the image. A row of trees is escorting the man and creating some leading lines.

The Fisherman Returns

This Is a classic way of  using foreground to create an interest in the picture. Use wide angle lens is most appropriate for this type of photography as these lenses have very high deep depth of field. In a good landscape  every element must be in good focus. That can only be achieved by tightening the aperture, using tripod and a wide angle lens.

Autumn Colors

Plant leaves in autumn are mostly used to attract the viewer in autumn season landscape photography.

Village Life In Asia

In rural landscape one can include elements like bull carts , doge and farmers going for work in the fields.

Young Fisherman In The Morning

Lilly flowers are best elements to include in the foreground of landscapes while shooting on the river banks.

Taobutt Neelum Valley

A hut on the way with a snaking trail leaving may be the best way to engage the viewer. Without an interesting foreground a scene looks incomplete as is the case with pictures having no sky. So to get best landscape pictures one must be very vigilant and be careful that one element may not shadows the other.

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Birds In The Fog

Nature Photography

Nature photography is a delight in itself and that delight multiplied in a foggy morning when every thing becomes romantic. Birds and insects position themselves in cool and and clam manner and they look like symbol of peace and tranquility. Nature photographer while taking nature pictures always keeps in mind the artistic side of photography. A nature photographer is an artist too and he tries to get artistic and dynamic compositions.

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In The Warm Morning Light

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Some time in winter morning light gives so warm tones that it looks like evening with golden and red hues. A farmer is going to his fields for days work on a mud trek and completely bathed in the dancing light of morning. It is a fascinating world and life is beautiful and simple here in the villages of Punjab  province of Pakistan.

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Winter morning are dramatic and dreamy. A fog and mist glow in the morning light. Birds starts their life early in the morning to catch insects. They look beautiful in the winter morning light.

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