This photoshoot was planned due to a forecast of heavy fog, which I saw as an opportunity to explore themes of absence, obscurity, and perception within my project. Having recently researched Uta Barth, whose work frequently addresses lack of clarity, peripheral vision, and what is withheld from view, I felt the fog would provide a strong conceptual link to her work while still allowing me to approach the idea in an original way. Unlike Barth's use of blur and very shallow focus, I aimed to create images that remained technically sharp while being visually obscured by the environment itself.
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I conducted the shoot at around 9am, when the fog was set to be at its thickest, to maximise its atmospheric impact. I explored several locations local to me that I knew would create a more convincing sense of absence and eeriness, including a footpath and a nearby park. These spaces are typically associated with activity and presence, so photographing them empty and partially erased by fog allowed me to emphases what was missing rather than what was visible.
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Within the park, I photographed objects such as swings, playground equipment, football posts, and a basketball hoop. These subjects were deliberately chosen as they imply human presence and interaction, yet in the images they appear abandoned and inactive. I used the fog to create large areas of negative space, where sections of the image appear visually "cut off", reinforcing the idea that information is being withheld from the viewer. This lack of visibility encourages uncertainty and prompts the viewer to question what lies beyond the fog.
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I was particularly interested in using leading lines and visual evidence of presence to suggest a narrative. The footpath functions as a leading line disappearing into the fog, implying a journey that has already occured but cannot be fully seen. Similarly, tyre tracks in the grass act as traces of movement, guiding the eye into obscured space and reinforcing the idea that something has been and gone. These elements suggest absence not as emptiness, but as the aftermath of presence.
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Technically, I worked in manual mode throughout the shoot. I primarily used a shutter speed of 1/125 to maintain sharpness as I didn't have a tripod and was actively moving, with an aperture of f5.6 to allow sufficient light into the camera and to enhance the bright, white negative space created by the fog, while still maintaining a relatively shallow depth of field. I kept the ISO low at 200 due to the brightness of the environment, however, in certain instances I increased the ISO to 400 to capture more information on finer details such as spider webs, tree branches, and the structure of the swings, using the light meter to guide this decision.
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Composition was a key focus during this shoot. While I used techniques such as the rule of thirds, I also intentionally disrupted balance within the frame by placing subjects off centre or allowing them to be partially swallowed by fog. In many images I wanted to shift my perspective while photographing and focus on the fog as the main subjects itself. This approach challenged my usual instincts as a photographer and allowed me to create a subtle sense of discomfort, subconsciously reinforcing the mood of absence and lack.
Some of the images produced also remind me of the work of Todd Hido, particularly in his use of fog, muted tones, and quiet suburban environments to create a psychological unease. Although I have previously research Todd Hido in another project, this shoot has encouraged me to revisit his work in more depth as potential future inspiration.
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Overall, the theme of absence is communicated through the obscuring quality of the fog and its refusal to allow the viewer full access to the scene. The images invite questions as to what exists beyond the frame? What has happened here? And who has occupied these spaces? The fog limits visual information forcing the viewer to construct their own narrative from what remains visible.
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If I were to repeat this shoot, I would experiment with a slow shutter speed, bringing along a tripod to capture motion, particularly focusing on the swings. Using an ND filter to compensate for the high levels of light, I would explore the idea of capturing movement as a trace of past activity - suggesting presence through motion rather than visibility - to further develop my concept.