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No filter
Mist Stripe
Mist filters (Resin)
Mist Grad
No filter
There are times when a scene doesn’t quite live up to expectation. Perhaps the light and weather conditions are disappointing, or maybe it turns out the location itself has all sorts of extraneous features that muddle the scene. At times like this, effects filters can come into their own – none more so, perhaps, than the mist filter.
Used carefully in the right circumstances, the Mist Stripe and Mist Grad filters can prove invaluable to the photographer, helping to isolate the subject and ‘tidy up’ a messy foreground by creating a veil-like effect. The Mist Grad can be used like a neutral density grad, pulled down from the top of the filter holder to soften the sky and cancel out any unwanted detail. The Mist Stripe can be placed on the horizon to hold back detail, or across the bottom of the frame to give the appearance of mist rising from the land or water. The best way to achieve an authentic result is to use the filters at a time when you would usually expect to see mist – that is, in the early morning, and in spring or autumn. Careful use of mist filters can inject a mood and atmosphere in a way that’s convincing and creative. They allow a certain amount of light through to hit the sensor, which is crucial to their natural effect. This is tricky to replicate on the computer in postproduction, and doesn’t look as believable. It’s important not to select an aperture smaller than f/8 to f/11 when using the mist filters, otherwise the filter will be seen in the final image.