Looking for the name of an effect/edit. Usually popular with portrait photography

Question

Hi, I'm currently wondering how this particular photographer achieved this "soft" effect. I've taken several of my own photographs similar to this, and I simply cannot find out what filter/effect/edit this individual used. Thanks!

Can you please describe the effect you see beyond "soft"? Please read Important information for asking "What's this effect?" questions and edit this post accordingly. Make sure to use a descriptive title, too. Thank you! — mattdm, Dec 28 '15 at 03:18

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 28 '15 at 06:19

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The best way to create this soft, low contrast look with a background that fades into white is to shoot outdoors when it is foggy. That's pretty much all you need to do.

answered Dec 28 '15 at 06:19

Michael C

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It does indeed look like the picture was taking during a foggy day. – Dragos Dec 28 '15 at 09:58

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 28 '15 at 22:20

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Fog plus a shallow depth of field. The fog gives the light dreamy look to the sky and the shallow depth of field gives the creamy bokeh that leads the eye to the sharp horses. It works well with the soft highlights and general low contrast here

answered Dec 28 '15 at 22:20

Tatone

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Also some vignetting around the edges, which might contribute to the "soft" feel the OP is looking for. (It's hard to tell, given the vagueness of the question.) – Ilmari Karonen Dec 30 '15 at 00:44

Looking for the name of an effect/edit. Usually popular with portrait photography

2 Answers2