How do I capture fog/mist

[Johannes Glännman]

Hi...

As you know I am very new to this forum and I excuse on my english. Please ask if you dont understand what I mean...

Alright.. Here is the question...

Fog! When I am out, early in the morning I love to see the fog over small lakes and in open areas in the forest... When the fog is thick and you barely cant see because of all fog it is not hard to capture it into a picture. But sometimes the fog just wont stick on the picture. This is when it is smaller amount of fog but still it is easy to see in real life. It can also be when the fog is far away. But in the picture the air looks clear and fine.

Do you have any ideas how to capture fog/mist in the best way ? Does it have to do with the setup in camera like shutterspeed and aperture or is it a thing that you can make appear when you are working with the picture in the computer?

Have a nice day // Johannes

[James Shadle]

Johannes,
Welcome to BPN.

Why don't you post an image in "Eager To Learn".
Explain what you saw and how you wanted it to be seen, along with your camera settings.

Welcome To BPN!

James

[Robert Amoruso]

Johannes,

John Paul Caponigro has a DVD disc out called Atmospheric FX that has a 17 minute video regarding creating Fog in images. Go to the following link to see it.
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/store/dvd_atmosphericfx.php

I just got it but have not started learning the techniques yet so cannot recommend. Though I don't like all of Caponigro's work he is a great Photoshop technician.

[Johannes Glännman]

Hi,...

Thanks for the tips. I will put in a picture as you say James but I dont have one right now so I must take one first....

I looked at the dvd... I might by it when I have some money over. I just bought myself a tripod so not right now :)

Thanks // Johannes

[Charles Glatzer]

Try plus 1 EV with Evaluative metering as a starting point.

Live preview rocks for this as well.

Best,

Chas

[Robert Amoruso]

As far as getting it in camera - I did not mention that but Chas posted a suggestion.

When I am unsure, I will bracket my exposures to have a selection to chose from. With the Canon 1D Mark III, I would chose 7 bracketed exposures 2/3rds stops apart and then review the results on the LCD. Then and if needed, adjust exposure compensation to move the bracket up or down to be sure I had a good histogram.

[Charles Glatzer]

As far as getting it in camera - I did not mention that but Chas posted a suggestion.

When I am unsure, I will bracket my exposures to have a selection to chose from. With the Canon 1D Mark III, I would chose 7 bracketed exposures 2/3rds stops apart and then review the results on the LCD. Then and if needed, adjust exposure compensation to move the bracket up or down to be sure I had a good histogram.


Robert,

What one person considers a good histo is not always the same for another.

Use the Live Preview and nail it in one shot....WHEN DEALING WITH ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS THE IMAGE AS SEEN THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER IS NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME AS WHAT IS RECORDED.

Best Amigo,

Chas

[Robert Amoruso]

Hi Chas,

I understand your point and agree. Firstly, the situation and the needs to produce the final result dictate what the "good" histogram is. Secondly, agree that live view is useful here.

My preference though is to reel off the bracketed exposures and sort it out later. I was not clear however when I stated "good" histogram. For a series of brackets, I want one that gives me no clipped shadows or highlights (assuming that the tonal range of the scene does not exceed that of the camera). So for the moment, let's assume it doesn't.

So if I am bracketing 7 exposures, I want No. 4 to be what I defined as the "good" histogram above. That way the three below and the three above that exposure give me an adequate range of exposures. The next factor is the amount of the bracket. 1/3 stop, 2/3 stops, 1 stop, more. I will generally use 2/3 stops.

As you suggested, I find fog needs about 1 stop + exposure compensation in AV mode. So I would set compensation at +1 and make 7 exposures at 2/3 stops apart.

I will then look at number 4 and check the histogram to see if it is the "good" histogram as I defined above. Then I have 6 other exposures to work with to better define the look I am after. In most foggy conditions, the contrast will be low enough such that the dynamic range of the camera will not be exceeded.

Is that faster then your way? Maybe for me. I like having the additional exposures.

Thanks for helping to better define our responses to Johannes.

[Maxis Gamez]

Interesting!!

[Johannes Glännman]

Interesting what you say... I dont have Live preview but I think I did learn much of this anyway... I hope I will show you some results soon...

Thanks guys // Johannes