With this cheap trick, you’ll be on your way to shooting moody foggy photos and videos in any outdoor location in no time.
Got a cool idea for a moody and misty outdoor shoot but keep putting it off because you haven’t found the perfect foggy location yet or can’t get your timing right for those foggy days? Here’s a cheap and easy trick from Shutterstock Tutorials that will let you get those dreamy foggy shots whenever you need to, in your outdoor location of choice!
Fog or mist is certainly one of the quickest and best ways to get creative and add mood or drama to any kind of shoot. It’s easy to achieve this when you’re in the studio, but certainly more challenging to do for outdoor shoots. If the latter is what you have in mind, photographer and filmmaker Todd Blankenship comes to your rescue with a cheap and quick trick to fog any outdoor location. Watch how it’s done in the video tutorial he did for Shutterstock Tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8FydpK1Tsw
So, there you have it. All it takes is a $60 insect fogger and a jug or two of 100% mineral oil to transform your outdoor location into a dreamy, surreal, and cinematic playground for a photo or video project. Pretty neat, yes?
There are a number of things to keep in mind before going with this trick. First, make sure to use a new insect fogger that HASN’T BEEN USED WITH INSECT REPELLENT. You wouldn’t want to be inhaling that stuff all throughout your shoot! Next, use only 100% mineral oil with the fogger, as Todd notes that there should be nothing else that could clog the evaporating element and catch fire. Lastly, make sure you take precautions before the shoot and always have a fire extinguisher ready. Use it only around wet or damp areas, and don’t even consider it in a very dry landscape since it uses propane and heat to evaporate the oil/liquid (while it rarely happens, something may get stuck in the spout and cause it to catch fire).
That’s basically it, but if you have an extra budget and an access to a power outlet in your outdoor location, you may want to try part 2 of Todd’s tip. The Fog Tube of Death is especially helpful if you want to fog a bigger area . For this, you’ll need a roll of lay-flat temporary air duct tubing and a squirrel cage fan. As he demonstrated in the video, you simply attach one end of the tubing to the front of the fan with duct tape, and fire the insect fogger behind the fan to get the fog inside the tubing. Once it’s filled with fog, cut some small slits on the tubing to make mini fog sources that scatter the mist over the length of your location.
Don’t forget to check out the Shutterstock Tutorials channel and blog for more awesome tips and tricks like this!
Screenshot image from the video by Todd Blankenship and Shutterstock Tutorials