Atmospheric Effects

Characteristics of this type of shot: Low-lying fog adds a sense of mystery to the scene.

Ingredients: I have a number of shots of this exact same scene, taken at different times of day, but this shot, with the fog, is hands-down my favorite. Atmospheric effects like low-lying fog add a sense of mystery to your shot, but they also add a sense of calm, taking the harsh edge off the shot, and I love that. Plus, having layers of fogs helps as well, like we have here where you see very, well-defined low-lying clouds of fog just above the lake, but then you have another layer of fog mostly obscuring the mountain behind it. The best time to catch fog like this is in the early morning—in this case, before dawn (to learn when fog it most likely to occur, see Chapter 9). So, get up earlier than usual because as soon as the sun rises, that fog will start to burn off.

Location: Hallstatt, Austria.

Camera settings: Shot in aperture priority mode; 24–70mm f/2.8 lens at 24mm; ISO 100 at f/11; shutter speed: 1/60 of a second.