Castell Dinas Bran Llangollen - a misty morning walk
Photographing a stunning misty sunrise at Castell Dinas Bran Llangollen
An amazing misty morning walk above Castell Dinas Bran near Llangollen on the Panorama today with some just fantastic conditions for photography. The Dee Valley was full of mist, the entire length along the River Dee from Chirk to Corwen, so on arriving in Llangollen I decided that it was definitely worth the effort of wandering up the hillside near to Trevor Rocks, an area I’ve photographed the castle ruins from before. Today was something special though, the mist lingering for several hours so I spent ages wandering up and down the hill as the mist ebbed and flowed through the valley and the warm light of sunrise started to light up the castle ruins.
Photographing mist and fog is an awesome experience and can turn an ordinary landscape into something ethereal and mysterious, but it does need some specific camera setting adjustments to handle low contrast and the often difficult light that misty days can produce.
How to get the correct exposure
Cameras often misinterpret the bright, white nature of mist and try to make it "neutral grey," leading to underexposed photos.
Use Exposure Compensation to add +0.7 to +2.0 EV so the mist looks white and bright.
Use the Histogram to help you “shoot to the right” (toward the highlights) but be careful not to clip them.
Use Manual Mode if your confident with having full control of the settings, it gives you full control over ISO, aperture and shutter speed which allows fast changes of settings as the light changes.
How to Focus
Autofocus systems need contrast to gain correct focus so it might be necessary to shoot manual focus.
Live View Zoom: Using Live View and zooming 100% on the image can be a good way of checking you’ve definitely achieved accurate focus
How to compose your misty landscape photos
Try and include a strong and distinctive foreground subject such as a lone tree, a strong landscape feature or even a person. It draws in the viewer and creates a nice transition from a sharp, dark foreground to the soft, light background, adding a sense of depth to the photo.
Mist naturally softens the scene and backlit subjects such as trees or people become powerful, eye-catching shapes.
Lens choice: A telephoto lens, something like a 70-200mm, can be perfect for this type of landscape photography as it compresses the scene, making the mist more atmospheric and it allows you to isolate important features adding more drama to your composition.
What camera gear to take with you
Mist is full of moisture which can be problematic for your camera gear
Using a tripod is pretty much essential as the early morning light will be low and need a long exposure. Avoid the risk of blurred images due to camer shake from handheld shots.
A microfibre cloth can definitley be useful as you may need to frequently remove mositure from your lens.
How to predict misty conditions
It’s all about the timing and mist occurs most often at dawn just as the sun begins to rise.
Check the forecast or use apps such as “Clear Outside” or “Ventusky” to check for clear, cool, windless nights - ideally after a humid or rainy day.
Areas bounded by water produce the most mist so river valleys and lakes are prime places to consider
