A Scene From My 2027 Diary – Simple Photography Tips by Michael Blyth
Five Simple Photography Tips: Mist in Landscape Photography
1. Look for layers
Mist can separate hills, trees and buildings into distinct layers, creating a wonderful sense of depth. Look for shapes that become progressively softer as they disappear into the distance.
2. Let the mist hide something
Not everything needs to be visible. A mountain partly concealed by mist can be more intriguing than one shown in full. Give the viewer something to imagine.
3. Watch and wait
Mist is constantly moving, revealing and concealing different parts of the landscape. Rather than taking one photograph and moving on, watch how the scene changes. A few minutes can make all the difference.
4. Check your exposure
Bright mist can fool your camera into underexposing the scene. Check your histogram and, if necessary, increase the exposure slightly to preserve the delicate tones without losing detail in the highlights.
5. Return to familiar places
The same landscape can look completely different depending on the weather. Revisit places you know, particularly in the early morning when mist is often more likely. You might discover a photograph you never knew was there.
The underlying lesson: Great photography isn't always about finding somewhere new. Sometimes it's about learning to see somewhere familiar differently.
How mist in landscape photography can reveal more by showing less. - A Scene From My 2027 Diary
One of my favourite pages in my new diary is the scene where hills and trees are shrouded by mist.
In the diary there is just the one image, but i spent some time on the same scene in the hope of being able to do what is here now. To illustrate hwat a different minute, hour or day can do to a scene.
This was part of the view from our place in Spain where we stayed. Using my Nikon Z8 and a long lens to point the scene.
The first image shows two hills one behind the other, dark green in the early light, with man-made tracks across the hillside being the most obvious feature.
Image Two, the one from my diary, shows how the mist, visible in the background of the first image ,has slowly and gently slid up the valley to shroud
the scene - and more significantly has provided an opaque screen in the valley between the two hills. This screen reveals much that was hidden before it arrived, the sharp outline of the slopes and the trees on the top of the hillock
Image Three, shows the greatest difference.
The mist, having shrouded the scene has started to move on, clearing the foreground almost completely, The trees on the hilltop really stand proud. The first image leaves me unmoved, and If you are ever blessed to go to a place like this, where the abundance of deciduous native woodland is combined with flowing water and hills, you will find some stunning moments arise as night turns to day and temperatures and moisture and light change.
2027: A Year of Seeing
The second photograph is a scene from my 2027 Diary, one of 59 images I've selected for my 2027 desk diary, A Year of Seeing.
Each photograph has been chosen for a reason, with accompanying words intended to encourage your own photographic journey and a thought for each week.
I'm currently gathering pre-orders for this limited-edition diary, priced at £25. The response by 8 November will determine whether it goes to print.
Pre-order your copy https://www.michaelblyth.co.uk/desk-diary]
If you would like inspiration, not just in noticing a photographic opportunity, but in recognising when to take the picture, or leave it. Seeing the small extras that can make or break a photograph, subscribe to Simple Photography Tips by Michael Blyth and I’ll send you Wednesday’s practical posts and Friday’s reflective thoughts as they are published.
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