Lifting fog
Early morning fog is broken by the sun. Photo taken in a low ravine flush with vegetation
Early morning fog is broken by the sun. Photo taken in a low ravine flush with vegetation
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Jan, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a drainage canyon that runs next to a busy road and grocery store. No one ever thinks about "what's down there" because they are on their way to work, school or home.Time
The early morning fog was dense but by 8 am, it appeared to be dissipating. Hurriedly, I made it to the canyon floor, and at 8:30, was able to capture this image.Lighting
What struck me immediately about the scene was that the light formed a curtain, droplets of glistening fog that allowed you to "peek" through the veil. The canopy of trees created unique shadows which, when mixed with the beams of light, created a great contrast. Early morning fog, slowly dissipating from the bright California sun, created a shimmering, ethereal effect that lasted less than ten minutes.Equipment
The photo was taken with a Nikon D810 (fx), Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens, remote shutter release, and on a Benro tripod. Metadata showed that I was at 32 mm, ISO 64, f7.1 and shutter speed of 1/50.Inspiration
I was once told by a former National Geographic photographer that "sometimes, the best picture is just outside your door". When the early morning turned foggy, I thought that it might be a good time to visit the bottom of this drainage ravine/canyon. It was close to the house and I had taken other "foggy" shots in other places close by. For some time, I had been stalking the mystical image of something emerging from the fog. True, this is not the Galapagos or other "bucket list" destination but the scenery was captivating.Editing
Because I was shooting into the sun, I did tone down highlights a little. Saturation, contrast, and white-balance are all as they came from the camera.In my camera bag
I normally haul around two bags.... one is a Pelican case with just about anything you can imagine in it and the other is an empty sling pack. I've learned over time that I have to wait till I "get there" to establish what I want to carry around and what stays in the car. In the Pelican case, I keep a Nikon D810, my landscape camera. I also pack a Nikon D500. If I have to grab a camera for a quick shot, this is the one I normally grab. Additionally, I have a Tamron 18-30, a Tamron 24-70 (fx) f2.8, Tamron 70-200 (fx) f2.8, and a Nikon 90mm Micro. Additionally I carry a LensBaby Pro Composer II with Sweet 50 Optic, LensBaby macro adapters, and a Nikon 200-500 f4.5. I often keep the D500 and the Nikon 200-500 together as this is my wildlife combination. Complementing the lenses are ND filters (2, 4, and 6 stops), soft and hard split ND filters 2, 4, and 6 stops, and some specialty filters for enhancing night photography. So what do I throw into the sling pack? Usually its the D810 with the Tamron 70-200 mounted, the 24-70 lens, and the 90 mm macro. If I'm doing some street shooting, I simply take the Nikon 7100 with its 18-140 lens - mostly because it is a bit smaller, less conspicuous, and gives me the reach and low light capability I need to get downtown shots.Feedback
Before you grab a camera and head out to your local low spot, do some investigating and planning. I had been wondering about the drainage canyon for about 3-4 months but never gone down there because of timing. But I did do some homework. I used the Photographer's Ephemeris to check out the sun and moons rise and set directions as a way of orienting me to potential pictures. I knew that the hillside running parallel to the drainage canyon was almost in-line with the path of the sun. Useful? In a way, yes. But the information became actionable when the fog was present - and I've only seen fog in the area twice in 4 years. Scouting out sites is critical, not because the exact time of day is right, but because you begin to build a potential data base in your mind of the world around you. While shooting this shot, I couldn't help but think of what a great shot I could also be getting of a broken down barn and tractor on the other side of town - the light would be just right. So you might not click a shutter today when you visit a place, but you will begin to think about what would make "this place" a great shot. It is the ability to recognize that the opportunity is coming and quickly react when it happens. I had not previewed this precise photo before but I had looked at a number of variables that would create an opportunity for an intriguing photo. In so doing, I was able to imagine several possible photos, get to the site, set up, and take the shot. And for the technical piece... I almost always shoot in Aperture priority, 64-200 ISO and vary the f stop according to the picture I want. I could have hand held this exact shot but had the camera mounted on the tripod (a little dangerous when you're moving around in the weeds).
