"In a Fog"

Somedays a Landscape photographer will feel "In a Fog" if you will. These are days where everything seems a comedy of circumstances. I have been on a dry spell recently and this morning was playing out much the same. The fog in Bakersfield has been very heavy of late. My pre conceived vision for this day was to ascend the Temblor Range on the way to Carrizo Plain and hopefully get above the fog bank for an interesting sunrise. Not! The fog hangs very low and ended up being a considerable distance from the pass. All I had was bald skies and no inspiration. Being the eternal optimist, I decided to continue to the Carrizo Plain valley to see what else I could find. As I rolled down into the valley, I was greeted with another fog bank laying low across the Soda Lake. Perfect! I would cross the valley through the fog and climb the valley overlook on the opposite side to have a clear vantage of the fog below. And so I did. It was amazing. I set up and began waiting for the sun to rise above the Temblors. As the air temp rose, so did the fog. In a matter of minutes, I was engulfed and had nothing. Eternal optimists at least have a plan B, but a plan C should never be needed. Racing down the hill, I continued on through the fog along the Soda Lake road. Within a couple of miles, the fog began to break. I jumped out of my car and headed for the shore to get the rising sun above the zig zagging shoreline. I was within 20 feet of my desired composition when the sand suddenly became a soft mud. "Phlumpf" went my first step and as my foot rose out, my show remained stuck. My next step was my sock going in even deeper. Nice! Shoving my muddy socked foot back into my muddy shoe had a certain humiliating feeling about it. After reciting a few choice words to myself, I got back to work. With the only remaining muddy ounce of optimism I had, I found another comp that included an old property line fence that I previously tried to exclude. The light was so good, so I had to record something. It's days like this that make one feel "In a Fog"!

Taken at Carrizo Plain in south central California, the shoreline is part of an

alkali lake called Soda Lake. In the summer it is dry and basically a very

large salt flat, but because of abundant rain this winter, the shoreline has

risen to this visible point. The fog was quite heavy with just enough sun

filtering through to provide a golden haze. Thanks for your opinions and/or

suggestions. The Larger preview is preferred!

Hey "Fog Bound" Geistweite... In spite of your troubles you came away with a real pleasing shot.  The foreground detail is a nice contrast to the remaining soft scene.  I see why it's called the Golden State.  As always, superb composition... Mike

Golden Moment and a Golden Shot ! Beautiful...............

Thanks Mike and Mriganka! I appreciate the kind remarks!

In spite of your troubles and muddy foot you came away with excellent photograph. Well done Mark, and kudos on your PP!

Thanks for the visit Leo! Hey, you better get out and find some new stuff. I told Chris that he needs to sharpen his saw, you might do the same. Come to California with guns (camera) ablazin!

Terrific imagery and composition my friend. Kudos, rek.

A very beautiful shot of our golden state. From the thumbnail, I thought the wood poles were surfers! I am disappointed they are not, but I am not disappointed at all in your photo; it's just lovely...so peaceful, the light is wonderful and the mood...superb! Thank you for sharing. :)

the technical quality and beauty of this photo is amazing. outstanding photo.