Fog is a collection of liquid water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth’s surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term fog is typically distinguished from the more generic term cloud in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated locally. Fog photography is not very common among the photographers. There’re many examples of astonishing photographs captured when this natural phenomenon occurs. If you have not tried photographing in fog yet, you will find some useful tips in this article to get started in fog photography.
Get as close to your subject as possible such that they fill up at least 85% of your frame, and leave no more than 15% for the background. This will of course be dependent on how much you’re able to zoom your camera lens.
The amount of lighting available can help you get the effect you are hoping for. Remember that the direction of the light is a vital factor when you take your fog photograph. Bring out a soft glow by making use of indirect light.
Fog photography can be used to emphasize the shape of the subject. You can easily obtain an attractive exaggerated silhouette if you take advantage of a bright fog background. Exposing according to the fog background can help you reduce your subject to a simple silhouette if that is the effect you desire.
Include some elements in the foreground, close to the camera. The nearest elements will contain a higher level of contrast and color compared to those farther away, giving a range of tones to the scene. This gives a feeling of depth, allowing the viewer to compare the effect that the fog has on the scene and the elements.
Be dramatic, convert to black and white – In many cases, fog adds real mystery to your photos. You can add drama and enhance the mystery by using converting your photos to either sepia tones or white and black. This will help add contrast and separate the white fog from the rest of the scene. Another tip to using this technique is to slightly underexpose your image. This will result in a darker image, while leaving the fog still a bright white or gray.
