5 ways to photograph fog.

5 ways to photograph fog.

Fog…a moment in time when one cannot see what’s right in front of you.

Fog adds a dimension of ethereal beauty to our world. What was so obvious the day before is now enshrouded in mystery. For a photographer it is a wonderful opportunity to gaze upon a landscape that is out of focus, magical and vaporous.

One particular morning last week I got up early and photographed the fog lingering along the shoreline. As the sun rose the colours turned from dark grey to pink, then to orange then back to pink, then a purple blue. 

Minimal imagery, which I love, is ideally suited to foggy days.The fog limits any background objects and adds a hazy, watery feel to the picture.

A few quotes about fog:

Fog stimulates your imagination into places where it may be afraid to go.

The fog always lifts.

You may not see clearly in the fog, but rest assured peace can be found simply enjoying its beauty. 

Sometimes when you lose your way in the fog, you end up in a beautiful place.Dont be afraid of getting lost. (Author, Mehetmet Ildan)

Points on how to take a good photograph on a foggy day.

1. If you dont want just one big haze you must put a relatively close and clearer object in the foreground. In the image below I placed the begining of the jetty in my foreground.

Fog on the jetty
Birds on the jetty

2. Chose a brighter object in the middle of the fog.  

This can really make the fog stand out. In the image below the sun started to rise and made a perfect scene.

Foggy morning
Sunrise on a foggy morning

3. Chose a darker object that is standing out in the fog.

Seagull on a foggy morning
Two sea birds in the fog
Trees in the fog

4. Find a point of interest to include in your image.

This yacht (below) just caught the morning sun and looked beautiful in the quiet of the morning.

Yacht in the fog.

5. Be patient and walk as far and wide as you can.

The fog changes very quickly as it moves and then is absorbed by the sun. You can get some very interesting images. In my images below I watched and took photos of a fishing boat departing.

Fishing boat in the fog
Fishing boat in the fog
Misty morning
Tree top in fog
Sea bird flying in fog

Minimal is probably the concept that comes to mind when photographing fog.  Remember to adjust your settings to gather in a bit more light. Lower shutter speed for darker scenes and a higher iso. But you may need a tripod for those early morning shots. 

For more information on fog photography CHECK THIS OUT

Locating Yorke Peninsula’s lone apostle.

Locating Yorke Peninsula’s lone apostle.

Embarking on a walk over the towering cliffs of the south end of Yorke Peninsula, we made a journey to try and discover the one lone apostle. A lonely fisherman had reported seeing this legendary rock from his boat in the ocean. But no land living creature, that we knew, had ever pointed out this amazing discovery to us.

Did we really have an apostle? Victoria had twelve, (Yeah right!! There are really only eight and rumour has it, there never, ever were twelve, it was simply a marketing ploy.)

Could South Australia possibly have just one for a few isolated adventurers like me and my husband?
Well we were about to find out!
We felt like the explorers of old….phone, water, sun hat, insect repel, camera, good shoes, snake protectors etc.

I think the explorers of old had note paper instead of a camera, old boots instead of good Nike trekking shoes, kerosene as insect repellent, and as the movies depict they always lost their water on the way so almost died of thirst!!

No dying on the journey for us we’re far too clever and modern.

Cliffs South Australian coastline

Above…looking forward along the coastline

South Australian coastline

Looking back you can see the West Cape light house way in the distance.

Coastline
Coastline South Australia

And there it is in all its glory. We found it!

Green sea water

Looking down.

Coastline South Australia
Coastline South Australia
Rough countryside
The lone Apostle South Australia
Waiting for the surf to come up

Yeah that way mate!

Two kangaroos
Rough terrain
The lone apostle
Beautiful rock formation

TIME TAKEN: Just under one hour to walk there, 30 minutes of taking photos and resting. Basically it took the best part of two and a half hours.

APOSTLE LOCATED: Yes bought a tear to my eye… majestical.

LIVING CREATURES: One shingle back lizard and quite a few kangaroos, and crows.

SIGNS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY: Not a single beer bottle, or cigarette butt, or foot print, now that’s worth seeing!

YES, South Australia does have an Apostle, difficult to find, but picturesque and worth the walk!