Haze Doesn’t Have to Leave You in a Fog

Those who watched last Saturday’s National Football League playoff game between the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles in Chicago saw the problems fog can cause camera operators.

It was extremely difficult to see what was going on because the long lenses in television cameras condense the fog, making it look very thick. That’s an example of how a camera can work against you.

Coincidentally, reader Mary Kay Stein of Laguna Niguel wrote asking for suggestions on shooting pictures on foggy days. With the right amount of knowledge, you can turn just about any circumstance into an opportunity to create some interesting pictures.

A day of adverse weather is a great time to experiment. Of course, there are times when the fog is just too thick to do anything. But most of the time you can use the fog to diffuse the light in your picture.

Fog is nothing more than water vapor condensed in very fine particles. Fog usually occurs when there is a large contrast in temperatures. It is usually found around water on cold days because the air is much colder than the water. It can also be found in valleys because the warmer temperatures surrounding the valley trap the cold air.

Fog can help your photography in three ways: First, it can create a mood; second, it lowers the contrast in your photo and, finally, it helps isolate your subject by eliminating the background.

A picture taken in the fog often has an eerie or surrealistic mood. Notice how many horror films use fog to create a feeling of impending danger. If this is what you’re looking for, you don’t have to wait for a foggy day. Many professionals either have or rent fog machines to create this kind of mood.

Fog can also lower the contrast in your photos, which can be of great benefit. You don’t have to worry about harsh shadows caused by the sun.

Exposure is an important factor when considering contrast. It’s important to know what you want to highlight in your photograph. If you are looking for an overall scene, you should get a light reading off the fog. If you’re trying to capture a subject that is small in the frame and the meter reading is off the fog, the subject will be very dark or a silhouette. That can be an effective technique.

However, if you want a normal exposure of your subject, you should move in closer to get the proper light reading. But this will brighten or blow out your background. Always use several different exposures because it’s almost impossible to get what you want in one try. The right exposure is not always the best exposure because the film may interpret a scene differently than your eye does. This is especially true when using color slide film.

Fog is also very effective at isolating your subject. It gives you the same effect as using a large aperture (f/2 or f/2.8) with a long lens. The longer the lens, the more diffused your subject will be. A similar effect can be achieved if you use a soft-focus filter.

There is one drawback to shooting in the fog. If it is especially damp, keep your camera in a case when it’s not in use. Avoid setting it down on the ground because the moisture can erode and rust parts of your camera.