Foggy Morning Forest Hike
This image was taken as I was hiking up a moderately difficult trail at the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey. The morning was foggy and a bit wet, but unseasona...
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This image was taken as I was hiking up a moderately difficult trail at the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey. The morning was foggy and a bit wet, but unseasonably warm and humid for winter. I noticed an interesting root formation with the trees disappearing in the fog in the distance that gave e a sense of mystery.
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Dec, 2015Views
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Contest Finalist in Fog, Clouds and Mist Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken along one of the many hiking trails of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, from the New Jersey side.Time
I took this during the early morning hour just after daylight had broken through. Hiking along these trails pre-dawn is extremely dangerous as the path rocky and filled with many steep drops. Additionally, the early morning hours in this area are prone to heavy fog creating an eerie scene and lightingLighting
I love to shoot early in the morning. I'm out of the house way before my wife and kid wake up and back early enough to enjoy the day. It also provides great lighting and amazing to see how drastically the light changes in just a short period of time.Equipment
Canon 60D, 18-200mm Canon kit lens (believe it or not, most of my shots are with this lens), Manfrotta 190 series tripod, Tiffen circular polarizerInspiration
My inspiration for the photo was really my environment this time. The fog was so thick and heavy, and unyielding, that it just created amazingly eerie scene... like something out of a fairy tale.Editing
There was some post processing involved, but basic stuff. Lens and color profile adjustments, bringing out shadows, reducing highlights, white balance adjustments, etc. done in Lightroom. After that, I brought it into Photoshop for fine tuning and sharpness. Then back into Lightroom for final adjustments.In my camera bag
In my bag, I ALWAYS have my Canon 60D (it's my only body) and my Canon 18-200mm lens with a circular polarizer filter. Beyond that, I usually keep a Canon 28mm f/1.8 lens, a Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 for astro, 3 strengths of Haida ND filters (4-stop, 6-stop and 10-stop), my Triggertrap mobile dongle for customized shutter release and some cleaning equipment.Feedback
1) SCOUT. Google Maps/Google Earth are amazing tools to virtually count locations and will save you a lot of time, but don't rely on them solely. Experience it yourself for the real story. 2) Set your alarm early. Then set a secondary alarm. Then set a third alarm. Trust me on this one. 3) Bring a friend with you if going to remote and unknown locations. You never know what lurks in the dark. 4) See how the scene looks through your camera. Sometimes, framing it away from your peripheral vision allows you to see the photo better. 5) Just shoot. Get out there, try different things and keep taking photos.
