Shooting in the Fog

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Photographers in the Pacific Northwest certainly know a thing or two about shooting in the fog. TPW Team Member Kim Gasper consulted with some of her fellow Washington-based photography friends to share some of their best “fog-tography” ideas and tips.

When you are a photographer, living in a climate that is overcast and rainy much of the year can make you long for clear days and gorgeous, golden hour light.  However, learning to embrace the challenge of shooting in different weather conditions can open up all kinds of creative possibilities. In the Pacific Northwest, our frequent foggy days  provide many such opportunities.

Fog typically occurs late at night or early in the morning, and in many cases near water or wet ground, conditions we have in abundance in the Pacific Northwest. Some of my local photographer friends and I want to share some tips we have learned for shooting in the fog and a few of our favorite images.

The presence of fog, especially light fog, can result in beautiful, soft light that is incredibly flattering for portraits.

Leah of LJShepherd Photography says, “I love shooting when the fog is almost lifted, as the sun is just about to peek through. In our area, this is often early morning as the sun is rising. Working with that lighting, the fog acts as one giant softbox.”

I shot the following images on a foggy winter day during a styled shoot with other local photographers in my area. You can see how the fog helps create a nice even light over their faces.

Pairing fog with strong light sources can also create some dramatic effects that you just can’t get when the air is clear.  When shooting at sunrise or sunset, you can angle yourself just right to catch beams of light streaming through the air, like in this beautiful shot from Little Earthling Photography.

In the image below by Jennifer Bogle Photography, she uses vehicle headlights to backlight her subject. The light bouncing off the water particles in the air fills the frame with light. Without the fog, this would have been a simple silhouette.

This technique would work with natural light, flash, or any other continuous light source such as an ice light or even a lamp. Try taking your favorite light source outdoors on a foggy evening and see what you can create!

Fog can impact the mood of an image. Tiffany from Tiffany Udman Photography says, “I think composition is all the more important when you’re shooting in the fog. I also think it’s best to focus on scenes that lend themselves to fog like spooky dilapidated buildings and eerie landscapes.”

Fog can also work as a powerful element for adding depth to an image. Jennifer Bogle says, “I love how fog can add depth to an image. A road winding into the distance also fades from sight in heavy fog. Layers of trees that would normally blur into a mass of green are made distinct by the fog between them.”

The next time you’re shooting in fog, try finding a location with a clear foreground, midground, and background. Your favorite road or pathway, a row of lamp-posts or trees.

Shooting in fog can also present some challenges.

Metering in fog can be tricky, and if you shoot on evaluative or matrix metering, your camera meter can be fooled by the fog because fog lightens the overall scene. This can result in your subject being underexposed. To avoid this, either meter to +1 or so or add exposure compensation if you shoot in a aperture or shutter speed priority modes.

I prefer spot metering when shooting portraits. I typically spot meter off caucasian skin to about +1, and it seems to do the trick. Of course, fair skinned subjects will meter higher, and darker skinned subjects lower.

While light fog can act like a softbox, heavy fog can act like a blanket, dulling colors and blending subject and background. Dressing your subject in bright colors is a great way to make them stand out from their surroundings. In the images below from LJ Shepherd Photography, Sara Miedema Photography, and MKDaughters Photography, you can see how the colorful clothing makes the subjects in the images pop off the background.

So, the next time you wake to find the fog has rolled in, don’t just turn over and hope it burns off in time for golden hour. Roll out of bed, grab your camera and some warm clothes, and see what you can create!

Kim Gasper

Kim Gasper lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband and two kids.  She is both an elementary school teacher and a professional photographer, specializing in seniors and weddings.  When she’s not working, Kim can be found watching The Bachelor or reading teen lit.

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Categorized in: From the team, Tips & Tricks