Misty Landscapes: Page 2

Exposure

The biggest problem when shooting on a misty day is getting exposures right. With all that white around, the camera is likely to underexpose, so dial in 1/2EV-1EV exposure compensation, bracket like mad or use a grey card to take a reading from. Bracketing is the best option, as it gives the most alternatives – and pleasant surprises. For spot metering in shots like this, the grass provides the most reliable target. Be careful to avoid camera shake by keeping the shutter speed high or by using a tripod, especially with a long lens.


Depth of Field

Even though your depth of field will be restricted by the mist – distant objects will be hidden – it is still an important issue. To heighten the sense of isolation in this picture, and to make the cow really prominent, required careful focusing and considered depth-of-field. A 200mm lens and an aperture of f/9 combined to good effect, softening the background even more and creating crispy sharpness around the cow’s head, making the ears stand out from the mist really well. The treetops have shape but their edges blend gently with the sky.


Enhancing Atmosphere

The soothing modulation of one fine tone into the next is what makes mist and clouds look fluffy and flowing. Those tiny changes of tone, the slightest shift from one grey to another, gives mist its shape, its characteristics and shows us it is moving. To maintain all those fine tones within your image requires careful manipulation of contrast – too much and they are destroyed, too little and the mist looks flat and boring. Set your white and black points using Levels and ensure your ‘exposure’ looks right – maybe leave the black not quite black – and then gently tease the mid-tones into life in Curves. By picking points close to the centre of the curve line you can create separation just in the mid-tones while leaving the highlights and shadows locked into position.


Top Tips

• White balance – to preserve the cool blue of a misty morning, select the Daylight white balance setting, rather than Auto or Cloudy. To make the blue even more pronounced try the Tungsten setting.
• Think about lighting – mist looks most impressive when lit from behind, as shown here. Try to position yourself with the mist between you and the sun or a street-light. Coloured bulbs and illuminated signs can lend their colours to the mist too.
• Sharpen and blur – enhance the difference between the sharpness of the subject and the softness of the mist using the Sharpening tool and Blurring filters on selected areas. Darkening subject edges against a light and misty backdrop using the Burning tool can help sharpness too.