I look through the viewfinder and a sensation invades me. I know the setting is right and the image is full of humor. There is something in what I see that has an effect that I know will be well received when I and others look at the resulting image. This magic doesn’t happen every time I press the shutter button.

What it means to capture the mood of what’s in front of you can be subjective, changing from photographer to photographer. For me, it’s about the feeling of being there, taking the viewer to the location of the photo so that they feel like when the photo was taken. When you experience these sensations while taking the photo, you know that the viewer will also experience them when looking at the image.

Just as a person can have different moods, so can a photograph. Either of you may experience a feeling of intense action, loneliness, serenity, or danger. For me, the mood in a photograph tends towards relaxation and similar feelings that make the viewer want to walk right into the image and sit there for a while.

What is the mood and what elements are needed to create it so that whoever looks at your photo can enter the scene and feel it? Different elements can be used to create a sense of excitement in a place. One of the most common to incorporate into a photo is fog. Thick fog can add so much to a shot that when people look at the image, they know exactly what the experience was like when the photo was taken. The drama added by the fog can be produced in several ways:

Passing over the fog on a ridge or mountaintop allows a clear view of the area with the fog nestled on a series of mountain ridges or along a river. Even if the river cannot be seen, the mist that fills the area draws the viewer’s attention, perhaps even more than the river itself would.

Wildlife in the mist can add an air of mystery to whatever the animal is doing, even if it’s just walking through a field or sitting on a nest. A single animal in the mist can make it seem lonelier than it really is due to the feeling of isolation.

Other themes that work great in fog are old bridges and trees. While the mist around a group of trees is nice, finding a tree isolated and set apart from others in the area creates a very strong image. One of Ansel Adams’ top prints is of an oak tree shrouded in mist with low sun filtering into the background. The thicker the fog for this type of shot, the better, as it helps hide anything else in the viewfinder and puts all the emphasis on your main subject.

The metering fog can enhance or decrease the effect of the shot. If it’s above the fog and it’s bright white, treat it like snow and break it up a bit to balance out the color. If you’re shooting through fog you can underexpose around -2/3 of a stop to darken the overall image and bring out the fog even more or go to +1/3 to lighten it a bit. Take a few shots of each exposure to achieve the exact feel you want in your shot. Don’t rely on its digital LCD screen to review the shot, though, as it tends to light things up a bit.

You often hear advice to overexpose a foggy shot, since fog tends to be a lighter color than a clear day. While this is true, sometimes you may want to render a different effect. This is where the parentheses come in. Take multiple shots on the bright side, but don’t think underexposure is out of the question, because this is where you can deepen the mood a bit. While the LCD may not give you the best view of your shot, the histogram can be useful to show if your highlights are blown out.

The fog helps isolate the subject from any distracting elements that may be in the area, such as a cluttered background. There’s really only one option when you wake up on a foggy morning, and that’s not to roll over and get some more sleep. Grab your gear and run outside to find something to shoot before the fog clears.

Another natural element that can be great to bring the viewer to your side is storm clouds. The darker, more ominous and threatening the sky, the more drama and humor you will have in the resulting images. This is where an average dream day won’t do; it has to be on the brink of a big storm coming. Like fog, using exposure compensation on the downside will make the clouds appear darker than they actually were when you were there. To lessen the effect, go to the bright side, again in brackets for the exact feel you want to bring out.

When storm clouds are forming, the effect is increased if the storm is on the opposite horizon from the sun. While the sun is obscured, you may not get the best of shots, but if the sun breaks through and lights up your foreground subject with storm clouds overhead, then you get a very dramatic image. A strong foreground subject is almost a must for images with storm clouds. While the clouds could be the main theme, without something else in the frame, there is no contrasting theme.

If the sun is at the right angle, about 45 degrees above the horizon, you might even get the added bonus of a rainbow. While you never want to be too far from your vehicle when a storm approaches, especially if it’s accompanied by lightning, it may be worth the risk once all is well.

While mist can create a warm and calming effect, snow can move in the opposite direction. Different snow settings can create different moods in a photo, depending on how the overall scene is portrayed. A snow covered tree can place the viewer in the cold. A vast field of snow and frost on the trees can bring a different mood.

Finding the right settings for a snow scene can be difficult if you want to take the viewer back to the moment you pressed the shutter. The contrast helps. The mixture of a good blue sky and white snow can bring everything together. Combining a snowy scene with fog or mist can also help. While fog is more prevalent in spring and fall, when ground and air temperatures are quite different, you can also encounter fog during winter. With fog and snow simultaneously, you have two elements working together to create the feeling.

In addition to utilizing the quirks of the weather, shooting a single subject in a large area will create an instant sense of isolation for almost everyone. It doesn’t matter what that subject is, but the smaller it is in the scene, the greater the feeling of isolation and loneliness.

Another issue that has automatic impact is running water. Several years ago, small artificial waterfalls to install in your home or garden were very popular because they were supposed to have a calming effect. The sounds of a stream or waterfall can cause people to sit and listen for long periods of time. Similarly, images of crashing waves, a stream or a waterfall are reminiscent of the tranquility of the sounds of water and have similar effects.

When you’re photographing running water, a long exposure is usually used to create the silky smooth flow of water. While this effect is nice, a fast shutter speed can create a sense of power when waves crash against rocks or a waterfall sends cascades of spray onto the rocks below. Don’t feel constrained because you’ve seen hydrants taken mostly from one direction. If you try a slow shutter speed for the waves crashing against the rocks, your image may be more interesting than the shot that captures the impact of the waves.

What creates a feeling of humor in one person may not work that way in another. The same can be said when you ask various people what mood they feel when looking at a certain photo. You can get as many different answers as the number of people you ask. Whatever the case, do your best to try to draw viewers in so they feel like they’re there and can feel what it was like to take the photo.