mist | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘mist’

Autumn mist (Part 2)……… a further selection

This is Part 2 of a short series of posts in which I have tried to capture the light and mood of the landscape when seen through autumn mist. Part 1 can be viewed here.

Mist has the power to simplify a scene and when back lit by the morning sun trying to break through, the light which is cast is really rather special.

Like the first post all three of these images were taken when out walking our dog early in the morning. I never know in these situations what I will see. Sometimes nothing at all, but on other occasions there is a photo opportunity around every corner. It’s a much used cliche……but always carry a camera!

Autumn mist (Part 1)……when warm and cool tones typify this time of year.

I don’t know of any outdoor photographer who doesn’t love shooting at this time of year. The cooler mornings when mist is so often present, coupled with warm autumnal tones, is such a wonderful combination.

In my last post I went out with the deliberate intention of taking photographs. The selection you can see here were all taken a couple of weeks back on an early morning dog walk in a woodland area near my home. A spontanous photographic session which is more my style. If the light and weather are favourable I like to take advantage.

My recently acquired Fuji XT3 and 55-200mm f3.5 to f4.8 lens compressed the field of view which suits this type of subject rather well. Until recently my longest focal length was 90mm in 35mm full frame terms, but given the APSC crop factor of the Fuji, this new set up gives me a range of 83mm to 300mm. A vast difference and I am enjoying being able to compose my landscape images in a very different way. It’s not the fastest lens on the planet, but it does have built in Optical Image Stabalisation (OIS) which for these shots negated the need for a tripod.

Slowly but surely I am becoming more comfortable with colour photography. It provides me with another creative dimension. Another form of expression. It’s very satisfying and rewarding to be persuing a different path and I am particularly looking forward to the weeks ahead as autumn turns to winter. Shorter days but given the right conditions so much potential.

This is the first entry in a short series as I have other similar images which I would like to share with you.

Thanks as always for taking the time to look at my work. It is very much appreciated.

Autumn mist (Part 3)…… the final selection plus a wildlife bonus!

The third and final post on this topic. Well at least for now as I am hoping for more mist and wintry scenes in the weeks and months ahead.

Once again these images were captured during an early morning walk. All are very local to where I live so when the conditions are right I may well return.

Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 of the series if you haven’t seen them already.

The scene below was quite extraordinary but wouldn’t last long. The dead stalks in the meadows were covered with spider’s webs which in turn were clothed in the early morning dew.

This was a circular walk and on our way back we were delighted but surprised to see a barn owl flying around the meadows. Partly because they are so rarely seen and secondly it was already mid-morning and they are mostly active at dawn and dusk. The shot below is quite a severe crop but I was just pleased to capture a record of the moment.

Misty transformations in Dorset

Winter can be a rather bleak time of year. The days are short and the weather is often a combination of wind and rain, cold frosty nights and occasionally snow. There are also days when blue skies return and the sun shines, which serves as a reminder that Spring may not be too far away. As a prelude to these clear bright interludes, the start of the day is often heralded by cool, misty or foggy mornings. I love these conditions for making images.

Cuckmere Haven alone in the mist

Regular readers will know that I am a great one for projects or bodies of work both large and small. Some last many months, even years and others are achieveable in only a day. They all have merit. Stand out single or what I like to call ‘Hero’ images do have their place but somehow the portrayal of a location and the prevailing conditions can really only be told in a series of pictures.

This selection of images were all taken during one visit to Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex.

I wanted to use my newly acquired Sony RX100 Mk3 compact camera to make a set of monochorme images for the first time and be able to assess the quality of the results. Very simply I decided beforehand to try and capture the location using no more than a dozen pictures; in fact there are eleven in this post.

I enjoy being in unfamiliar locations and taking photographs. My mind is fresh to the possibilities of what I might see and capture in camera. Weather plays a big part of course and I was fortunate on this particular occassion to find the area shrouded in low cloud and mist. These conditions are ideal for black and white photography. I can adjust the contrast to suit each image to portray not only what the eye saw but how the scene felt to me.

All the pictures are landscape in format with a 3 x 2 aspect ratio for consistency. I think this is important if a set of images is to be presented as a harmonious panel of work.

As I walked around the lagoon I found myself being drawn to some minimilist compositions which I rather like.

None more so than the picture below of a single post with the far bank just visible in the distance.

As for the Sony RX100 camera – well I have yet to make prints, but for the purposes of this blog, the quality of the RAW files is excellent.

Water, posts and reflections always have an appeal and these things all came together for my last image, with the added bonus of a sheep in the centre of the frame.

This part of East Sussex is a very popular with tourists visiting not just Cuckmere Haven but also the Seven Sister cliffs (the first image) and further to the east, Beachy Head. Although there were other people around, I felt quite alone here. Alone with nature – the mist largely obscuring my visibility of people or distractions I didn’t want or need to witness. I can easily imagine how this area might look bathed in sunshine with many people to be seen in every direction. Call me melanchonic but give me the mist and solitude any day of the week please.

To enjoy these images at their best, please click on each one to view a larger version.