Out of the Mist

The Strait of Juan de Fuca borders the northern edge of Washington

State; on the other side of the water is Canada. This area sees fog

frequently in the mornings, as was the case when I made this visit. The

fog gradually dispersed into a heavy haze, obscuring even some of the

higher clouds. The tide was out, and two men walked far out onto the

tideflats to harvest creatures in the tide pools (I'm embarrassed to say

that, despite my being a biologist, I failed to ask them what they were

after; I suspect crabs because of the construction of their nets on

poles). In the distance, they were the almost ghost-like, and I found the

very bright, hazy conditions to be attractive photographically, despite

(perhaps because of) the absence of contrast and detail. The relative

isolation of two figures in this expanse of fog and haze was, to my eye,

quite striking. That's why I made the photograph. Your comments and

suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Steve, I like this a lot. It has a wonderful feeling to it. What really intrigues me is the importance of the clouds. They really make it for me.

Super shot! Interesting the way the clouds pop out at the top of the photo - they almost have a "Wizard of Oz" kind of feeling to them.

Thanks for the comments.  Jeff, I thought the very same thing about the clouds.  It was unusual to see cumulus clouds almost obscured by the heavy mist; we usually see them as bright, white islands heavily contrasted in a blue sky.  I could have enhanced the contrast with the Nik Color Efex software, but chose to let it remain as I saw it, because that held the greatest interest for me.

Stephen,  Great minimalist shot.  Your introductory explanation is most helpful and interesting.  The almost monochromatic look also adds to the wonderful mood of the image.  The translucent nature of the fog gives it life of its own.  I can feel it in the image.  The nice thing about the fog here is that it is not "socked in"; by being transparent the fog gives the image a vast sense of distance.    Another positive is that you have kept the image fairly low contrast.  I agree with the comments about the impact of the clouds too.  Thanks for sharing this, Stephen.  Larry

fantastic!

Very nice! Simple and elegant. All the visual elements are well connected!

A lovely image done with a gentle hand. Great shot and processing Stephen.

What an amazing photograph! It seems from far away in the future, with the figures somehow made of thick iron. The barren landscape is superbly captured. The top clouds however, keep pulling my vision there, I don't know why....perhaps because the two figures are so intense and well positioned that I don' like anything competing with them in a vast and void environment. Anyhow, masterfully done! Best regards.

DG