City In The Mist

Between autumn and winter there is usually a time in Berlin when the city looks enchanted. Often between the last weeks of November or first days of december a similar weather pattern occurs with days of mist. It’s already pretty cold and you need warm clothes if you want to take some pictures out there (when the air is wet and moist it feels even colder). If the mist doesn’t lift it creates a really unique atmosphere. For example the high rise at Potsdamer Platz looks like a frame from Ridley Scott’s legendary “Blade Runner”. The pictures were taken with long exposure and for the picture with the lantern I used f 22. Keep ISO low (100) and use a tripod since the mist could itself create a bit of a grainy impression.

The trick is to have mist but it shouldn’t be too thick so you can’t see your own feet. In Berlin you have these weather conditions sometimes lasting for a couple of days when the region is under influence of a high pressure system. Conditions could change during the course of the day. Sometimes you have mist in the morning then some hours with the sun shining and the fog coming back after sunset. When these pictures were taken conditions where pretty much the same within the city limits but sometimes there are interesting differences. As long as the water in the lakes is warm there are better conditions for foggy weather there when the nights are cold enough. Earlier in autumn wet meadows could create their own misty atmosphere. These conditions could be sometimes very dangerous for drivers if you have suddenly a bank of mist in front of you that seems to come out of nowhere.


click on the photos for more details