Photographing in fog

Monday 14 February 2022, 20:02 by Erik Nevels | 6,267 views | 4 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Not only because of my surname do I have a thing for fog. Fog adds an extra, or perhaps I should say, a restrictive dimension to the landscape.

It obscures, hides, creates tension and makes you wonder. In short, fog is myst-erious. That is why I like heading out when fog hides part of the surroundings.

Local patches

When fog is forecast, I have a dilemma. Which of my local patches will it be? I can walk out of the door and head for the Maasplas, which is almost on my doorstep. Walk a little further and I am at the Isabellagriend.

But I can also take my bike to the Munnichsbos. And after half an hour's cycling, I am in the middle of the Beegderheide.

Then there is the Linnerheide with its solitary, photogenic oak. Plenty of choice in Midden-Limburg, and I often do not decide until just before I leave home.

The Maasplas

I choose the Maasplas. Low-lying fog hangs above the water and the sun is already trying to break through.

With my large telephoto lens on the camera, I walk to the dyke and enjoy the hazy spectacle. I hope for unusual water birds that I want to bring close from the bank with 600mm.

A grebe is the first to emerge from the fog. When it dives, I quickly walk on towards the water's edge to get closer. My little trick works. This fish-eater comes up again quite close by, but unfortunately without prey.

I already have photos without prey, so I leave those out. After ten or so dives, the grebe slowly disappears into the fog, still looking for a tasty little fish. As I walk on again, the opposite bank of the lake catches my eye.

The sun is breaking through quite well by now, and combined with the remaining fog it creates a painterly image. I did not bring a tripod, so I take a handheld landscape instead.

I happily include the seagull in the sky. I am curious whether the atmosphere of that moment will come through on the computer later.

Back home, I am pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is there, and there is even a fisherman in the photo. I completely missed him in the fog. A photo with two fishermen in the fog, then. Great!

Sony A7 mark III, 407mm, f/7.1, 1/1600sec, ISO500

The Beegderheide

A week later, no fog is forecast, but mist above the water is often visible on the Beegderheide. The same is true this morning, when the large mere is literally sparkling in the backlight of the rising sun.

While I set up my tripod, I look for an interesting composition on the opposite bank. I decide to zoom in a little more after all and swap my 28-75 for the 70-300mm. It has a lovely zoom range that lets me determine my crop precisely.

As the mist above the water reflects the rays of sunlight, I choose different compositions by zooming in more or less. I enjoy the view and the atmosphere of the moment.

I wait patiently for another fifteen minutes, until the atmosphere slowly slips away. Unfortunately, no duck, cormorant or coot swims into view during that time. That would have completed the picture.

Sony A7 mark III, 82mm, f/8, 1/6sec, ISO100, tripod

Myst-erious

When I have spent the following afternoon in the Munnichsbos, I drive back home. I look out over the meadows and see the sky starting to turn deep yellow, so I decide to pull the car over for a moment after all.

Fascinated by the rapidly changing sky, I walk into an old avenue and see another old avenue further away to my left, between the meadows. The sky is already turning quite red, and the first mist suddenly appears above the fields. What an unusual sight.

I would not quickly set up my tripod for a photo with cows in it, but in this case I certainly do. What a stunning panorama! The atmosphere is very special, changing by the minute, but ultimately short-lived.

I wait for a while longer, but the best moments have already passed and fortunately are on my memory card. Happy with my decision to walk into the avenue after all, I pack my camera away again and continue on my way home.

Sony A7 mark III, 190mm, f/7.1, 1/250sec, ISO125, tripod

Munnichsbos

You can feel the atmosphere created by fog in the photo. You may be able to guess at the parts of your image that are hidden. The often rapidly changing conditions keep things exciting while you are taking photos.

In short, fog adds something extra, something almost magical, even though you can see less. So keep an eye on the forecast, head out and let yourself be surprised. You do not know what you are missing!

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