Eclectic Homes

Design Photography: When the Fog Rolls In

Nine out of 10 professional photos documenting architecture from the daytime seem to get taken when the sun is shining. Sure, on sunny days, the components may give a photographer reason to not shoot, but the perfect is to show a landscape or building in the best light. Sunlight allows materials and forms to stand out and be read more clearly against its backdrop, creating a reasonably consistent aesthetic within architectural photography. Therefore it is refreshing to see evidence that embraces other environmental conditions, especially fog.

Comparing sunny and foggy days, the former is bright, vibrant, and eloquent, although the latter is muted, gray (mostly ), and indefinite. Or to put it another way, sunny photos present crystal-clear graphics, but foggy ones let the imagination fill in the blanks. Fog exists as a layer between our eyes and certain pieces of advice: architecture, landscapes, distant vistas.

This ideabook celebrates foggy photos. Here’s hoping a few of you may adopt the effect this and other environmental conditions have on the way the landscape or building is introduced. In most places fog isn’t anywhere near as prevalent as sunshine, but next time it rolls in, grab your camera and snap some photos of your house to get .

The Collins Group/JDP Design

Landscapes are especially moody when seen from the fog. These mounds take on an extraterrestrial presence as a result of the mist that coats the ground and softens the landscape .

Here the fog blurs the gatehouse at the end of the allée, increasing the expectancy on the approach to the indistinct architecture.

James Hill Architect, AIA

In this picture we don’t see the house but the view from the house, its link to the beyond and water. But what is beyond? The fog makes that response unclear, and therefore the mood is calm yet slightly ominous.

The Garden Route Company

Here the fog obscures the view down the steep hillside that is located beyond these foreground planters. The bamboo actually stands out against the fog.

Holly Marder

Amongst the fog and bare trees this blue house in The Netherlands stands out, if lightly.

Holly Marder

Seen from up close, the fog flattens the trees in the background and again makes the house stand out from its own surroundings.

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

The warm glow of the lights within the house balances this dusky fog.

The past couple of pics are not fog per se, but they show similar effects in various ways. The low clouds are broken to show blue sky above and hills beyond the modern house. The feeling is like being so high up the perspective has to compete with clouds and nothing else.

Summerset Gardens/Joe Weuste

Mist shoots upward from openings in the pavers of the deck, engulfing the pool and furniture in a minimal fog effect.

Lenkin Design Inc: Landscape and Garden Design

Misters in this backyard soften the stone walls that define part of the outdoor space. The nice fog looks appropriate with these walls, as well as the plant, sculpture, and other components.

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