[fstopfanatic]

I live in Ohio and air quality is not the greatest. Most of my landscape shots have a somewhat hazy look to them. I use a tripod or monopod for most of my shots. Shorter distance photos always look good, but most landscapes don't live up to my expectations.


I've noticed that most shots I see taken in states with less human habitation, like in the western U.S., all seem much clearer than shots I take here in Ohio. Could air quality (clarity) be part of my poor IQ on landscapes? Any ideas?

[normhead]

I live in Ohio and air quality is not the greatest. Most of my landscape shots have a somewhat hazy look to them. I use a tripod or monopod for most of my shots. Shorter distance photos always look good, but most landscapes don't live up to my expectations.


I've noticed that most shots I see taken in states with less human habitation, like in the western U.S., all seem much clearer than shots I take here in Ohio. Could air quality (clarity) be part of my poor IQ on landscapes? Any ideas?

You really have to get out on the clear days. Out west, they have the advantage of higher thinner air in many locations. But we still have our days. MY wife walks the dogs over a ridge near our house, for the morningg dog walk. Manitou Mountain is at leas 30 mile away. Somedays it's crisp and sharp, somedays it' almost obscured by humidity. You just have to pick your days.

[alpheios]

The air quality does have a big impact on landscape photography. Temperature, humidity and dust all affect the image quality. As normhead said before choose the right day to take landscape photos. What also helps a lot is getting a polarizing filter for landscape photography if you are not already using one. The more (dust or water) particles are in the air, the more light is unpolarized which leads to less contrast and an overall decrease in image quality.

[Na Horuk]

The air quality does have a big impact on landscape photography. Temperature, humidity and dust all affect the image quality. As normhead said before choose the right day to take landscape photos. What also helps a lot is getting a polarizing filter for landscape photography if you are not already using one.

True!
Over here, on a clear day the Alps look like you could reach out and touch them. On some days, they are all grey, just a haze. If its rainy or cloudy you cant see them at all
Usually the effect is worst on hot, humid days and on days with little wind and lots of pollution. Conditions are usually best just after rain or on days that are slightly windy and crisp

Your shooting position is important, too. For example, if you shoot across a body of water in the summer, there is more haze just above it. Or if you are in a valley, the air pressure often captures dust particles inside the valley

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Last edited by Na Horuk; 05-30-2017 at 07:18 AM.

[GlennG]

Could air quality (clarity) be part of my poor IQ on landscapes? Any ideas?

Sounds like you may be having a bad air day! I certainly agree it could, as others have also agreed. I'll not repeat those good suggestions, but I've had some additional luck in clearing up photos (somewhat) with the "clarity" or "clarify" tool in my photo editor, which has helped for bad air, dirty windows, and silty water.

[ofer4]

This issue has always made me wonder how satellite photos are taken. We have trouble with a few miles of haze. How in the world is this done through hundreds of miles of atmosphere?

[alpheios]

Also if you happen to use Lightroom CC there is a tool called Dehaze that does a pretty good job in clearing up haze - at least in some photos. In DxO there is a similar tool called ClearView.

[DeadJohn]

You need to worry about haze and turbulence. Haze absorbs and scatters light, hurting contrast and color. Turbulence distorts the image. The thickest, dirtiest air often hugs the ground. Long distance landscapes look through miles of the worst air so you need good conditions. Shoot from atop a hill and you might get above the worst air.

You can sometimes overcome some atmospheric problems during processing. Shoot in raw. Lightroom (or other software) offers contrast, saturation, clarity, and dehaze sliders.

Or wait until a very hazy day and make the haze an element of your photo.

The attached sample shows turbulence. Humidity was low and the sky was free of haze but it was windy. It's a 1:1 crop of a lighthouse across 2 miles of water. The vertical lines in the lighthouse windows are actually straight, but the light got bent on the way to my camera.

[normhead]

Also if you happen to use Lightroom CC there is a tool called Dehaze that does a pretty good job in clearing up haze - at least in some photos. In DxO there is a similar tool called ClearView.

I'm still using Aperture, and using the polarizer filter and a small bump in exposure and contrast usually does the trick.

[DeadJohn]

This issue has always made me wonder how satellite photos are taken. We have trouble with a few miles of haze. How in the world is this done through hundreds of miles of atmosphere?

The atmosphere gets thinner and clearer with altitude. Satellite photos are aimed vertical while most landscapes are horizontal. Compare moon photos when it's on the horizon vs directly overhead; horizon gives a color-distorted, wavy, non-round moon.

---------- Post added 05-30-17 at 11:52 AM ----------

Also if you happen to use Lightroom CC there is a tool called Dehaze that does a pretty good job in clearing up haze - at least in some photos. In DxO there is a similar tool called ClearView.

I learned this technique before the LR Dehaze tool existed, and I think it gives superior results for the effort. Adjust the black and white points to just before clipping, then around +10 saturation and clarity.

[AstroDave]

What also helps a lot is getting a polarizing filter for landscape photography if you are not already using one. The more (dust or water) particles are in the air, the more light is unpolarized which leads to less contrast and an overall decrease in image quality.

Not quite. The scattering in general is what leads to less contrast - you are getting light scattered into the line-of-sight which is NOT coming from your subject. But, the scattered light tends to be polarized - hence a polarizing filter can reject (some of) the scattered light, clearing up your picture.

Astronomers study polarized scattered light a lot - you can learn about the nature of the dust (size, orientation) doing the scattering. If you are so inclined, take a look at this article (1991MNRAS.252P..12S Page 13P) showing how light scatters at right angles around galaxy M82.

[alpheios]

If you are so inclined, take a look at this article

I definitely will, thanks a lot for the information. I'm always willing to learn. Especially when it's about astronomy and physics.

[Na Horuk]

This issue has always made me wonder how satellite photos are taken. We have trouble with a few miles of haze. How in the world is this done through hundreds of miles of atmosphere?

You only get to see the good, successful satellite photos, not the ones that show nothing but fog
Also, satellites use more than just normal 'visible light' wavelengths. Infrared can baypass some atmospheric effects. A lot of "space" images you see online are actually colorized in post by artists

[fstopfanatic]

Thanks to you all for your insight. I assumed I was on the right track considering air quality. I'll try my polarizing filter and see if it helps. Waiting for a truly clear day here may not be an option.


I did read a comment on this forum the other day about trees looking OOF in photos due to the leaves blowing in the wind. Something I never thought about. This forum is a great learning tool.

[DeadJohn]

I live in Ohio...

Any good suggestions for landscape locations in Ohio?

I do an annual road trip to places further west, and Ohio is a good rest spot after a day of driving. Cuyahoga Valley National Park shows potential, especially because it's so accessible via I-80.