Page 42 - Cape-Camera-July-August-2021

July/August 2021 Cape Camera

where it condenses. That’s why you’ll often find clouds banked matic mist called sea smoke. I love shooting mist rising off the
up on the upwind side of a mountain range. Clouds moving lakes and rivers in New England on cold fall mornings, as well
over and through mountains can create beautiful atmosphere as sea smoke by the ocean in the deepest winter. The trick is
and drama. Think of ragged clouds streaking around tall rugged to find a spot where you can shoot over or into the mist with
peaks. Then, visualize breaks in the clouds letting in light and directional light entering the scene. In some cases, especially
simultaneously obscuring parts of the scene while revealing in the river valleys, the fog becomes too thick and completely
others. It can be quite dramatic. Mountains often act to wring obscures any sunlight from entering.
out the moisture from these clouds as they pass, and sinking air Photographers on the Pacific coastline of the US and here in
downwind causes them to dissipate. That’s why downwind of Maine are familiar with a different process that creates fog, an
high mountain ranges we often find deserts. inversion. Instead of forming when air radiates from warm wa-
Regarding which types of clouds most often create brilliant sun- ter into cold air, this fog is created when warm air passes over
rises and sunsets, I’ve found that high and mid-level clouds do a relatively colder water, inverting the normal temperature pro-
much better job at catching light because they sit higher above file of decreasing values with increasing elevation. When occur-
the ground, allowing more light which highlights the underside ring over the ocean, this is often called a marine layer. It can
of the cloud structure in brilliantly colourful hues. In my experi- roll onshore for days, or be kept just offshore by heat from the
ence low clouds either catch very little light for a brief period, land during the day until late afternoon, when it swoops in and
or more often, act to block the light. Once you understand the either extinguishes a promising sunset, or creates a wonderful
weather patterns to look for, you can take advantage of the sit- mood and atmosphere if you are close to the edge and the sun
uations where you have that clear window on the horizon for is burning through the fog. If possible, you can try to position
light to enter thus creating the magical lighting situations you yourself above the fog. You’ve probably seen this in photos of
see in many pro landscape photographers’ images. the Golden Gate Bridge with just the tops of the towers sticking
Humidity out. While both processes result in the air temperature match-
One of the most visually effective elements to take advantage of ing the dew point and creating condensation, I’ve found that
cold air over warm, smaller bodies of water is more effective
when creating a landscape image is humidity. This is not taken for photography because it often creates a lower fog that lets
into account by many landscape photographers, but it can be in more light.
extremely useful because increased humidity creates a sense of
depth. This occurs because increased humidity can make ob- Inversions also occur on land. This can happen for a number of
jects in the foreground stand out with greater contrast resulting reasons, such as when cold ocean air comes in below a layer
in darker blacks, while objects in the distance appear to recede of warm air on land, as described above. Another way this can
by having lower contrast and more washed out tones. This is of- occur is with a warm front, where a wedge of cold air at the
ten most evident when shooting a grand landscape with many surface is slowly eroded by a warmer air mass coming in above.
layers, often with an elevated perspective and little obstruction, One of the most visually exciting inversions occurs when cold
but the same can be applied to smaller scenes with heavy mist air gets trapped in a valley, causing clouds and fog to form at
and fog. elevations below the surrounding mountains. When viewed
Fog and Mist from above, one gets the impression of floating on a sea of soft
clouds. Often surrounding peaks stick out like islands above
Fog can be a landscape photographer’s best friend. Fog forms the clouds. What a beautiful sight that can be!
when warm air is suddenly cooled to the point of condensation, Precipitation
also known as the dew point. On land, fog often forms in fields
and valleys at night and in early morning as the land radiates Falling rain and snow when seen from a distance can take on
the heat it accumulated the previous day while cold night air beautiful shapes and forms, especially when they are wind-
comes in above. This is especially true when humidity is higher swept over oceans, valleys, and deserts. When that precipita-
from lush vegetation and earlier rain or mist. One way to predict tion is overhead and we are close to the edge, light can enter
when fog is likely to form is to use a website or an app that gives the scene and interact in beautiful ways. Looking into the sun,
the dew point value. When the temperature reaches the dew you can get an intense, diffuse glow. When the sun is behind
point, a situation also known as 100% humidity, fog is likely to you and it is raining, you can get a rainbow. However, when you
form. are entirely enveloped deep inside an area of precipitation, the
You can use heavy fog and mist to your advantage by using it to light will flatten and all but the closest objects will become ob-
scured.
eliminate distracting backgrounds. When all you can see is just
what is right in front of you, then you can isolate those objects Snow adds a lot to any winter scene. Without snow, the land-
and create a much more effective image than you might have scape is often a drab brown and the ground looks awfully sad
otherwise been able to with clear visibility. My favourite way to with lots of dead grass, reeds, and branches. Deep snow elimi-
take advantage of fog and mist is to photograph it with sunlight nates these distractions. Mountains also appear much more
streaming through. To capture this, you have to be on the edge. impressive with snow covered peaks. Timing fresh snow and
Sometimes you can place yourself in a position just beside or beautiful light can be a challenge, as pristine conditions have a
inside of it, but I think it’s even better if you can find a way to be way of fading quickly due to strong winds or melting. Capturing
just above it. snow while it is falling will usually only occur in complete over-
A unique optical phenomenon called a fogbow can appear cast, but you can take advantage of these conditions and ren-
der the scene into an almost pointillistic interpretation, looking
when you are standing in a layer of fog with the sun shining like a Georges Seurat painting if the snow is falling softly. If it is
through at a low angle. Just like a rainbow, a fogbow appears
in the opposite direction of the sun. Unlike a rainbow, a fogbow windy, blowing snow and spindrifts can turn a mundane scene
doesn’t have a lot of bright colours. It will appear as a bright into a very exciting one.
white semi-circular band. Most photographers avoid rain at all costs in fear of harming
Small bodies of water like lakes and rivers often vent steam on their gear. Let me tell you from experience, your gear is much
cold mornings because their water is relatively warmer than the tougher than you think. Shooting in heavy rain isn’t going to be
air. When it gets extremely cold, even the ocean can create a dra- very productive, but light rain and mist can offer great condi-
tions for a variety of scenes. I highly recommend purchasing

41 Cape Town Photographic Society