Autumn Photography tips

[pressld2]

Hi All,

I'm reasonably okay with the mellow fruitfulness but can't get the hang of mists.

A good mist can transform a landscape into something ethereally beautiful or even eerily threatening but I can't seem to capture that atmosphere in my images. The only mist photo I've ever taken that I didn't immediately bin is this one from Footscray Meadows last November, and I'd be the first to admit that there's nothing particularly impressive about it...



Does anyone have any tips or tricks for "photographers in the mist" that they'd be willing to share?

Dave P.

[badger426]

Have you tried "bracketing" your shots?

[stirling]

Looks very artistic to me Dave,would make a nice painting.
Best from mike.

[FungiJohn]

Hi Dave

Here are a few tips:

Always use Manual focus. Auto focus will often fail to give the correct focus.

Underexposure is quite common with this type of photography. This is due to the reflective nature of mist which can trick the metering.

It always helps if you have some bold colours in your foreground. For example in your image it would have been made much more dynamic if the seat was of a strong colour ... and closer! By doing this we are also trying to put some 'texture' back into the image.

The tree is nice and bold and provides a good frame but if you try to imagine it on the other side of the picture. This would also bring in more colour from the lighter sky.

Using the rule of thirds, the seat could occupy the bottom right position. But remember rules are there to be broken!

That said, it's not easy if you can't move a tree .. let alone the seat

Hope this helps

edit ps btw ... I like it anyway

John

[nightshade]

Bracket +1 as the sensors are fooled into thinking there is more light than there actually is.
Look for as colourful a scene as possible as mist flattens the contrast

[RichBrew]

When I shoot in mist, I habitually dial in at least plus one stop exposure compensation and shoot in aperture priority. I also use the histogram on digital cameras to determine exposure, exposing to the right as far as possible without blowing highlights.

I always use mist for its ability to produce muted colours, and the two dimensional, monochromatic feel that these conditions give, and go out deliberately to shoot under these conditions. As stated above, it can give a painterly quality to images, as well as subduing unwanted backgrounds.

RichBrew

[pressld2]

Thanks everyone - some good tips! I'm planning a few early morning starts over the next few weeks so, weather permitting, I should get some good opportunities to practise.

Dave P.

[Blackbrook Eye]

Another little tip, if you have a U.V. filter fitted, try removing it for misty shots, its not dramatic but it all helps.

[pressld2]

I have a skylight 1B on my 80-400 just for protection. Is that a UV filter?

Dave P.

[Blackbrook Eye]

No its not a UV filter, a skylight filter has a pinkish tone and is used to 'warm up' the picture when the subject is illuminated under bright blue sky, it will however have a similar effect on misty scenes and you would notice a bit of difference if you removed it for those pictures.