A Foggy Morning On Campobello

Looking out of the window this morning, I saw that we were shrouded in thick fog. This happens when we have warm moist air coming up from the south colliding with the colder air above the Fundy Bay. Many people think that it is not worth taking pictures in the fog, simply because of the colours wouldn’t be as bright as in full sunshine.   North Rd. Harbour in Sunshine…………………….and in fog Of course, the colours are fading in the fog, but the fog also provides your pictures with an “eerie” feel. The image is changing its character. Yes, you can take great pictures also in foggy grey weather. And that was the reason why I grabbed our NIKON and was heading out to North Road Harbour where there are a lot of fishing vessels. The dock sticking out into the fog. Its emptiness and the vast expanse of the water underlines the eerie feel. Have a look at what I got. There is almost no line for the horizon. Not only has the fog changed the colours but it also obscures contrasting grey tones. Yes, there ARE 50 shades of grey. And maybe more. But then, if you go real close, the green of the fishing boat is almost jumping out of the picture. The fog can enhance colours if you go close enough to the object. Over the past years I have been using PICASA photo editing. It often helps me to re-focus what is important in my pictures. Re-focusing is not only done by enhancing contrasts and colours, but also by re-formatting the picture. A long horizontal picture has a way of focusing on the object, and sometimes you want to re-format to the opposite, making the picture go vertical. The pole on the dock is supporting this vertical version of the picture. PICASA editing has also the ability to make pictures appear in a more artistic way, by increasing contrast or even changing the hue or colour intensity. Here are a few examples how changing an original can make a difference in the picture’s expression.                                First the original:       Change 1:        The picture has been re-formatted to focus on the dock        Change 2:       Colours have been abstracted making it look like a painting                  Change 3:   By overdoing the contrast the picture has been “reduced” to a graphic image Only by experimenting with this tool one can find out what is best.  The good part with PICASA is that all changes can be reversed. Now, grab your camera gear and head out taking shots at what you see. It is only your imagination setting the limit.