When I woke up on Monday morning to see a notification for a fog advisory in my area… I popped out of bed to get some shooting in before work. We don’t often get fog like this where I live, so it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
How does this image make you feel? Is there anything about this image that detracts from its impact?
Is this a composite: No
1/500 sec @ f/4, ISO 400, 67.1 mm; 4-image pano. Processed in LR and PS.
Nick,
Cheers on a great morning. The image evokes a mysterious feel to me. It gives the eye a lot to explore. It’s certainly not a quick image you’d like and scroll right by. I like the almost gradient feel from dark at the bottom to light at the top as the fog softens the light. Nothing sticks out to me as a distraction or factor that detracts from the feel it conveys. Very nice!
Very nice, I love images like these. Like Adam said, the fog adds a mysterious feeling, and the curves of the tree give it personality. Trees are more able to reveal their true character without leaves, I think.
As a matter of personal taste, I prefer images like this without the sky - I think if you were somehow able to find a background entirely made of the forest it would add to the feeling of mystery for me. I realize that’s impossible a lot of the time, but that’s just what I look for. Don’t get me wrong, this image is fine regardless.
Did you shoot this handheld? I imagine you could have gotten away with a smaller aperture to get more DoF, less ISO for less grain, and a slower shutter speed (especially on a tripod).
I wish you more foggy days! I’ve had some rare wintry foggy days this week in WI and it’s made for some wonderful photography.
@Adam_Bolyard - Thanks for the compliments!
Happy to hear that, as that’s exactly the kind of image I strive for.
@Brent_Clark - Thanks for the feedback, Brent!
I definitely understand this and that’s something I usually consider as well. But like you alluded to, that kind of shot would have been impossible for this particular tree since I was standing in a low valley. Plus, I actually kinda like how this lone tree reaches above those surrounding it. Hopefully the sky here doesn’t detract too much; I actually did bring the highlights down a bit to help with this.
I wondered if anyone would comment on this. 
As a matter of fact, yes, I was shooting handheld. And I had the ISO locked at 400 since the early morning light was still fairly dim when I started shooting. Probably could have/should have bumped it back down by the time I made this image. Good catch. If I would have been using a tripod, I definitely would have used different settings.
Nick, I also really enjoy shooting foggy landscapes, and this image is a great example of what to do right with them. I love everything about this. My personal preference is for cool fog, this does it well without looking overdone. Some folks may disagree, but for me you hit the right WB here. I often wrestle with the level of sharpness / softness to portray, and I think you hit a very pleasing balance here. Overall, this image is a winner for me. It invites inspection of it’s subtle charms.
I think the discussion of sky amount with @Brent_Clark is interesting. I agree with Brent, I prefer not showing a lot of empty sky. I think it usually doesn’t add much, and its relative brightness often pulls the viewers eye away from the abstract, painterly details below. For this image, some sky is needed to create definition in the shapes of the treetops, which to me is the most interesting aspect of this image. It also helps create the tonality gradient. Crop this image in half, and the bottom part is nowhere near as interesting to me.
Subjective nitpick, I would add 2% canvas at the top and add fog via content aware fill. I think the slight amount more breathing room makes the top of the center tree slightly more appealing. Rework below
I also think that this is beautiful. Very understated and the tree in the front is quite interesting. I am of two minds about the sky but I am leaning towards what @Ed_McGuirk has said here. The top part of the tree carries more visual interest. The bottom part has become somewhat muddy with all those brown and dark tones mixing together.
Really interesting image and I quite like Ed’s modifications. A couple of things to try. (1) add a vignette creating a halo around the tree (2) cool the image just a tad to see what an overall bluish cast does to it. Actually I would experiment with a variety of casts - cyanish, greenish, green/cyan combos. Mix colors and play.
@Ed_McGuirk - Thanks for kind words; very happy to hear that the image works for you. Interesting idea to extend the canvas a bit. Comparing side by side, I do see the difference that a bit more sky affords; however, I can’t say that either version has a stronger impact on me as a viewer. I’ll have to give my eye a rest and revisit this. Appreciate the food for thought!
@Adhika_Lie - Thank you for taking a look!
I appreciate you pointing this out - not something that had stood out to me. Thanks!
@Igor_Doncov - Thanks for the compliment, and those are great suggestions! I do plan on playing with the color a bit more. That’s something that always takes me a long time to get right.
