Foggy morning or does it look overexposed?

[praline3001]

This is Ormond Plantation. I made plans to work on my photography this morning there but it was EXTREMELY foggy. Visibility was less then 20 feet.
I tried to use the fog to my advantage for some different perspectives on the house rather then the typical photos that are taken of it.

I can't tell if it looks foggy with PP or just overexposed? My goal in this photo is to show both how HUGE the live oak tree is compared to the plantation and also how foggy it is.
The top of the photo looks over exposed to me even though its fog. I don't want to crop it because I will lose the monster tree look.

I also softened the focus a lot. I wanted a soft gentle photo with no harsh lines. Maybe I over did it with the softness?

Does this photo look like a foggy morning to you or just over exposed? I tried to play up the fog and play down the focus and details for a softer look.


Ormond plantation by praline3001, on Flickr

[RichardTaylor]

In my un-calibrated monitor it looks ok.
Just looking at the histogram there are just a small amount of clipping. In DPP, dropping the brightness, 4% maximum, stops the clipping and changes the image very slightly.

[praline3001]

Thanks! I will try darkening it a bit. I was trying to show off the fog as much as possible. I used the clipping aide in photoshop camera Raw, hoping I didn't overdo it. I am just not sure if I should sharpen it up and if the fog looks like fog to the human eye?

I know its fog but when I look at it with my eyes it looks over exposed and washed out lol But that is what fog is. Does it look like the coloring is due to fog?

[RichardTaylor]

That's fog. Very low contrast & soft lighting.

It looks similar to some of my fog pics.

Flickr: Search dicktay2000's photostream

[praline3001]

WOW! Your fog photos are amazing!

I had a lot of trouble with the fog this morning. I was trying so hard to make sure I didn't blow out the highlights but that white wasn't easy! Throw in the fact I kept having to clean my lens every few shots to get the water off of it

I did get much better photos with the fog and some great ones with the old live oaks. I just wasn't sure about this particular photo. The plantation had these tacky Christmas icicle lights all on the front of the house. There are too many and to pronounced to clone them out.
I was trying to photograph at angles where the Christmas lights didn't overwhelm the historic type of shots I wanted. lol

I am going to study your EXIF values tonight and write them down in my trusty reference notebook. Hopefully next foggy morning I won't have so much trouble.

[RichardTaylor]

Thanks.
The main thing is to use your histogram.
The first time I seriously struck fog (with steam engines in it) I bracketed, but mostly used the "normal" shot anyway.

[praline3001]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

Thanks.
The main thing is to use your histogram.
The first time I seriously struck fog (with steam engines in it) I bracketed, but mostly used the "normal" shot anyway.

So much to remember sooo much lol I am going to need to get all of this tattooed on my arm

Here is another photo I took. This one its much easier to tell its fog! This is what I was dealing with when I got there. I had made all kind of plans and notes about the type of photos I wanted to get ... I had to completely scratch my notes and plans (along with exif info to try)
I had to wing it as I never studied anything about fog and photography. Its so hard to get the point across that its fog and not over exposed! I want it subtle but all of that white and lack of detail makes it hard!

Live oak tree in the fog by praline3001, on Flickr

[RichardTaylor]

It works for me.

You may find this latest tute, on DPS, of mine if interest. it starts with a clear morning and ends up completely fogged in).

Light #9 - What time of day to shoot?