Magical , Moody , MIST
                                                                                           by Jim Moerschel

For several years, we used to spend a few weeks of the summer at a secluded
cabin on the coast of Maine. Every morning I would go out at dawn to watch and
photograph the fishermen and lobstermen set out to sea. Many times there would be pea soup fog that would shroud the tiny town of New Harbor in a milky blanket.
These kinds of mornings became some of my favorites for image making and the mist or fog would create lots of atmosphere making the scenes surreal and ghostly. The lighting would transcend the entire spectrum from dim to hazy bright
once the sun would rise. These days were pure magic and needless to say I burned up several rolls of film in a short time.
One of the nice things that mist or fog does is soften the suns rays like a giant diffuser. This eliminates “hot spots” of sunlight and opens up the door for some great photography opportunities that would be difficult on clear sunny days.
Another factor that fog will sometimes eliminate are background distractions such as telephone wires, unwanted billboards and signs.
But the best thing about fog or mist is the mysterious mood that it lends to any subject. It can be pure magic.
The cabin we used to rent was located right on one of the most picturesque
coves along the Maine coastline. Back Cove, located just outside of New Harbor
was a photographer’s paradise and produced many calendar, post cards and posters through the years. I was lucky to spend portions of 5 summers here and
had the good fortune to see many foggy and misty mornings right from our porch.

One of my favorite subjects was an old wooden fishing boat named “The Star” that sat in Back Cove for the years we saw her as merely a wonderful “prop”
for all the photographers who visited this enchanting spot. This wonderful old boat
had seen her best days long ago and we have learned that she was hauled out to sea
and sunk by the owners a few years ago. She will live forever as thousands of images have been taken by countless photographers from all over the globe.

The image of the huge oak tree in full autumn splendor was taken early one
morning just a mile from my house. I used my 100 – 300mm lens on a tripod and
made the image in wonderful sweet light. The mist adds such a nice ethereal look to
the scene, but it also blocked out the high tension wires that would ruin this shot on
a clear morning.

Letchworth State Park, located in the western portion of New York State is
a very scenic spot. There is a section where the road follows a high cliff for a few miles and there are many scenic “overlooks” that allow for photos into the canyon.
On previous days I pre-selected a few places that were very photogenic. In this image I loved the way the foreground trees framed the composition and I could see the river flowing through the canyon. The next morning I drove to the spot before
sunrise and set my tripod in position. The added bonus was the heavy mist down in the gorge that added that extra touch of mood to an already beautiful view.

The photo of the old boathouse was created one morning in New Harbor in a fairly dense fog. The composition is very simple. I made a straightforward shot of the structure, but the fog as it began to lift gives the feeling of a watercolor painting. This “painterly” effect is very common when the photographer shoots almost any scene in weather conditions like this.

I was out very early one morning at a local pond concentrating on birds.
The rising sun skimmed across the misty pond creating a fantastic glow on the reeds
of the opposite bank. All that was needed was a foreground subject. Down at the far end of the pond swam a mute swan and I quickly walked back with my tripod and camera and set up. The 100 – 300mm lens was placed and I waited. After a few moments the swan began to swim across the scene right in front of my lens. I
used what photographers call “the rule of thirds” as placement for the swimming swan within the frame. *** (see below at the end of this article for an explanation
of the rule of thirds.)

Bryce Canyon is a magical place in any weather. I’ve led several tours there
and this canyon never is disappointing to the photographer. On one particular morning, the fog rolled in completely blanking out the inner canyons throughout the park. Was I let down? Disappointed? Nope! For nearly an hour, I walked the high rim making images of tree roots and many of the ancient, gnarly pines that
cling tenaciously to the eroding sands. This portrait of one of those pines depicts
What can be done on misty or foggy days.

One of my favorite places to photograph farm scenes is Vermont. Without a
doubt, the photographer can find plenty of photogenic farm scenes here in any season. Autumn is my favorite. The combination of colorful leaves and some of the oldest barns found in America is a combination that is hard to beat. The charming
village of Woodstock has long been a favorite of camera club members and other
photographers since cameras were invented. Lorraine and I have traversed the
rolling hills along as many backroads that we can find. We delight in “becoming lost” in rural Vermont and it was on just such a morning in peak foliage season that
we were treated to an unusual scene.
We awoke to a snowstorm, ate breakfast at the inn and began our drive. The
autumn leaves were at peak, there was an inch of snow on the ground and an eerie
thin veil of fog hanging in the woods and fields. Perfect!!! The old barn sat high on a hill and would become my subject. After parking the car, I began walking down the road searching for the best foreground to complete the scene. After several spots where I tested the scene through my lens, I finally found what I was
looking for. I placed the tripod and my choice of lens was a wideangle 28mm. I was now able to include the two dark clumps of trees on either side of the barn that
created a frame for the barn. The barn was just visible enough to become the primary subject, reinforced by the combination of snow, orange leaves and interesting trees. The mist adds that “painterly” look to this scene and is one of my
favorites of beautiful, rural Vermont.

The Smoky Mountains are another of my favorite haunts. Cades Cove area of The National park is a great place for image making. And, as we photographers know, one of the best times of day is the early morning hours to use the magical light,
We call “sweet.”
On many mornings you will find the added ingredient of mist hanging in the valley. There are many photo opportunities all along the loop road through Cades Cove. So many in fact that you can do the loop road several times in a few days and
not be able to capture everything you want.
I enjoy using my 100 – 300mm lens to “isolate” a subject. In the photo of the
silhouetted tree I used the 300mm focal length here. This compresses the tree against a muted background caused by the veil of mist. The two dark trees on either side of the primary subject act as a frame to keep the viewers attention on the
Primary subject. Searching any area for subjects if a lot of fun, especially on a misty morning.

When shooting on foggy days or in a fine mist it is a good idea to keep the camera and lens protected. I’ve shot scenes in Maine where the fog was so thick that the moisture invaded the front element of the lens as soon as the camera was
brought out of the bag. Fog along the coast may be laden with corrosive salt too,
so keep the camera under wraps when not in use. Take these precautions, but keep
searching for quality compositions and create those magical, moody, misty images.