Landscape photography composition choices: quiet lake with fog

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I set out early for a quiet lake in Germany, planning to capture morning fog, still reflections, and the shape of a unique dead tree. With careful preparation, a composition in mind, and my ND filters ready, I was hoping for calm water and soft light.

What I didn’t expect was just how magical the conditions would become. The fog thickened, the light turned golden, and the scene transformed into something better than I had planned. In this video, I walk you through my thought process — from composition choices to adjusting exposure times as the light changed — and share the images I captured along the way.

If you enjoy the mix of preparation, patience, and those moments of luck that make landscape photography so rewarding, you’ll enjoy this one.

Gear & Settings:
Camera: Sony A7IV
Lens: Tamron 70-300
ND Filters: 3-stop
Polarizer for enhanced reflections
Exposure times from 0.5s to 4s

Location: A remote lake in Germany, accessible by a short hike.

Chapters:
00:00 – Arrival & scouting the location
01:12 – Planning the composition
02:30 – Working with fog and exposure
05:00 – Adjusting for changing light
08:30 – Switching to where the light hits
10:20 – Capturing the golden fog moment
12:00 – Wrapping up and final thoughts