Outdoor Photography How To

OK, be honest here: Let’s say you plan to arise at dawn tomorrow for a day of photography. But when the alarm clock rings and you look out the window, it’s a gloomy, foggy day. So what do you do? If your decision is to “wait for better weather,” the video below is for you.

In this tutorial from photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup, you’ll learn why you should get out of bed and grab your gear, and how you can shoot awesome photos in the fog. No excuses.

Tony says, “Bad weather can produce some of the best pictures ever, because you’re going to get something unusual, something other photographers aren’t going to get because they’re all staying inside.” Chelsea then takes over, explaining that every serious outdoor photographer should have a “Fog Plan.”

So what’s a fog plan, you ask? It’s when you you’ve previously scouted locations that are ideal for shooting in the fog; even though they may appear uninspiring on clear, sunny days. As far as images are concerned, Chelsea notes that you should expect neither tack-sharp photos nor those vibrant with color, because fog makes that impossible. That said, beautiful, moody images are well within reach.

Tony notes that shooting in fog is technically easy, since sharpness isn’t a concern, and you don’t have to worry about depth of field because fog typically obscures the background. During this five-minute tutorial, you’ll pick up valuable tips on composition and exposure settings for shooting great images on foggy days.

There are more helpful shooting and editing tips on the Tony & Chelsea YouTube channel. You may also want to look at our earlier story with a British landscape photographer, who demonstrates how to make awesome images in awful weather.