Forest Fire haze?

[lohrentz]

We're been getting a lot of haze from forest fires, with very golden sunrises and sunsets. I don't have all that much experience shooting film and I'm not sure what to do with this situation. Any thoughts on how to make lemonade from these lemons for a black and white film shooter? Panchromatic, IR film or ortho? yellow, orange, red, uv, infrared, or polarizing filter? Emphasize the haze or try to cut through it?

 

[Rob-F]

First of all, there is no way to "cut through" haze that can be seen with the eyes. It's really there, and is going to be in the picture. I doubt you will need a polarizing filter, either. If you feel the need for a filter such as a yellow or orange, why not try it and see what you think? It sounds like there is a lot of color in those sunsets/sunrises. Filters will increase the density-in the negative-of subjects the same color as the filter, thus lighten them in the print. They won't do much for areas that are mostly grayish in the fog. As to film, I would start with the same film you usually use, to see if you like the results, then make changes from there. Experiment! And show us the photos, OK?

 

[raydm6]

We recently had an “Air Quality Alert” issued in Massachusetts for the recent Nova Scotia wildfire. I didn't notice the smell nor notice any haze. I would probably shoot straight from the camera no filter(s) except maybe a UV.

Smelling smoke in Massachusetts? Nova Scotia wildfire plume overspreads the region

Nova Scotia wildfire smoke made its way to Massachusetts on Tuesday. The smoke plume from Canada impacted visibility in spots, and an “Air Quality Alert” was issued by the Massachusetts…

www.bostonherald.com

Some color shots:

Gallery: Smoky skies in Southern New England from Nova Scotia wildfire

Southern New England skies were hazy Tuesday with smoke blowing in from wildfires in Nova Scotia.

turnto10.com

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Get exposure metering application on phone. One which measures with liveview
Or use digital camera. Same iso as film. Apply working settings on film camera.
Scan, process to reveal.
Or print under enlarger accordingly.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

A couple of years ago, my area was hit with very heavy smoke from the California fires. I took the "lemonade from lemons" approach and treated it like one of the many other atmospheric anomalies in the Southwest (dust storms, monsoons, etc.), both with color and B&W. Some of the results were great, others not so much, but I'm always eager to work with new and interesting light. At the same time, there was a sadness in doing so, knowing that the source was an ecological and human disaster.