i hate fog - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

02/17/2012 06:32:19 AM · #1

so I wake up early today for work, look out the windows and there is fog everywhere. so i run and jump in the shower, get dressed, grab my camera and new tripod, hop in the car. i didnt even make breakfast so i had to stop at dunkin dounuts. got my dunkicino and sandwich.

there was actually great music on the radio, the cranberries, i haven't heard that song in so long, like being back in highschoool.

the is fog all over the place, I can barely see on the highway. i drive over the Walt Whitman bridge into Philly, engulfed in fog. Get off onto Columbus blvd head down towards the Ben Franklin, but something is wrong.

where's the fog? i was just here.

i look to my left and i can barely see the philly skyline, the lights are are visible. there is fog there. but wait, why can i see camden? something isnt right.

i get to the bridge and sure enough, no fog. none. i can see clear across the river and i can see the tops of the towers.

wtf.

i swear i am never going to get my one of my dream shots. its one of the shots i am determined to get, black and white, a shot of big ben engulfed in fog, the tops of the towers barely visible disapearing into the mist, the bridge lights perfectly diffused orbs. i can picture it so vividly. sigh...

i thought today was the day.

Giles

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

02/17/2012 06:39:12 AM · #2

Big Ben? Stolen our clock or just the name?

Fog require patience sometimes need all day to get it to be where you want or just photoshop it lol

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

02/17/2012 07:00:33 AM · #3

Originally posted by Giles_uk:

Big Ben? Stolen our clock or just the name?

just the name, the Ben Franklin bridge, its not officially called that i just refer to it as Big Ben.

how do you take all day when the fog can be gone is a matter of minutes?

i have learned to keep my gear ready on the day it rain in case i wake up and get lucky to get fog.

we haven't had a good snowfall which really lends itself well to creating fog when the temp finally warms up a bit. that fog tends to linger for much longer.

Kelli

Canon EOS-D60

02/17/2012 07:21:31 AM · #4

Sorry Mike. I got one of the Tacony-Palmyra in the fog (and snow) last winter...

cowboy221977

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

02/17/2012 07:23:53 AM · #5

Good luck on getting your dream shot

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

02/17/2012 07:29:01 AM · #6

its just one of. im going on sunday to try to get another on my list, unfortunately that one requires no people to be around, but that's what expert editing is for.

Denielle

Canon EOS-7D Mark II

02/17/2012 11:32:06 AM · #7

I know your pain. There's this bridge over the river around here... I have been DYING to get a fog shot. Haven't made in there in time as of yet. Sucks when you get there, and BAM, it's gone. I may just have to wait for an especially chilly night, where the air will be very warm the next morning, go there, and wait... and HOPE FOR THE BEST.

Who knows? I may get the shot.

I am sure you will get it soon. I would rather experience the satisfaction of taking the shot, rather than editing in the fog.

JamesA

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G

02/17/2012 11:52:55 AM · #8

Originally posted by Giles_uk:

Big Ben? Stolen our clock or just the name?

Fog require patience sometimes need all day to get it to be where you want or just photoshop it lol

It's a bell not a clock :)

DJWoodward

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/17/2012 02:15:06 PM · #9

The ephemeral nature of fog is what makes shooting it fun and frustrating. For example, I�ve never been happy with this shot:

I�ve post-processed the original a hundred times to try to get the right exposure balance between the foreground and background but I�ve never been able to make the silk purse I wanted from the cow�s ear I have. I literally had only seconds to capture this scene before it changed.

I had been standing in a field that sloped downhill into a valley at sunrise with about ten other photographers. This field is a popular spot to catch the annual Lupine blossoming here in NH. Sunrise itself was a bit of a bust and the crowd started to dwindle quickly about 30 minutes after it was up. The few photographers that didn�t leave the site moved down the field to take some close-ups of the flowers leaving me at the top by myself. From where they were standing the tree line blocked the view into the valley below. I looked up from fiddling with my camera and saw a bank of fog moving up the hill toward us at a remarkable speed. Just as the fog broke the tree line the scene in the shot developed. In the time it took to get into position and shoot three frames the fog had broken through entirely and the shot was gone. I didn�t even have time to bracket the exposures. In another twenty seconds it had covered the field completely. The intensity of the sunlight behind the fog briefly created a �fog bow� that I was only able to capture poorly in one frame. The whole event from clear sky to nearly zero visibility lasted less than a minute.

I didn�t get the capture that I really wanted but I felt lucky that I was the only one who even had an attempt to catch it. Some people had left only minutes before and the others were oblivious to the approaching fog even though they we less then 30 yards from where I stood.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/17/2012 02:30:29 PM · #10

Twice a year it seems as I go over the small bridge spanning the Willammette I will look to my left and the sun is a golden orb shrouded in fog while the river is a brilliantly reflected gold with steam rising. I curse myself for not having my camera every time. It only happens during a certain period when the sun rises in the right place.

hihosilver

Nikon D200

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

02/17/2012 02:57:13 PM · #11

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE fog in the mountains! It's been a while since I've gone fog chasing. So, thanks for this thread as a reminder to get up early and go!

deeby

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/17/2012 03:03:37 PM · #12

I dunno, live and let live I soy.

hahn23

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

02/17/2012 03:05:39 PM · #13

My fog experiences have come with inversion layers. If one can drive or climb to the inversion layer top or above, there are sometimes wonderful scenes to photograph. These events are very transient... lasting only a few minutes. And, they don't come to you. You have to move your feet.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

02/17/2012 04:07:10 PM · #14

I like to try and get shots with fog, but as noted here it's a rare and fleeting opportunity.

Mick

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

02/18/2012 02:54:47 AM · #15

Paul is right, it is a rare and fleeting opportunity. I think it's very difficult to capture well too. However, it might also earn you your best DPC score ever. :)

We get lots of foggy days here in Deer Island. In fact, it was completely socked in here all morning. I couldn't count the number of times I've tried photographing scenes with fog, yet I still only have a few images that I'd be willing to show to anyone.

Giles

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

02/18/2012 07:21:31 AM · #16

we get lots of fog and cloud inversion here