Kingston Mill is an atmospheric place close to where I live and is therefore convenient for photography. There is a 19th century mill, an 18th century stone arch bridge, a canal built in the 1830s, and the Millstone River, all providing opportunities for landscape imagery. It is also a place that provides opportunities to shoot the same scenes in different weather conditions and seasons.
This image was made in the morning when the fog was heavy. It was shot in color but given the fog, leafless trees, and brownish stones, color did not add anything to the image. By converting the image into black and white, I focused on the subject of the heron on the dam framed by the trees. In the original image, the detail in the upper right corner was blown out. I brought it back essentially by using the dehazing filter. Regardless of what software you use, there are certain filters that allow you to decrease the highlight in an area to allow the details to emerge. However, since the point is to capture the fog in the scene, you want to balance bringing out the details with maintaining the effect of fog.
The image would have worked without the bird, but I think the bird makes the image. I also decided to keep the bird as a smaller part of the overall image, rather than just do a close up. The point after all was to capture the scene and atmosphere and not do a nature photograph of just the bird.
You should never be discouraged to go out photographing in inclement weather. Sometimes fog and overcast clouds allow you to create moody images. Not everything has to be the bright blue sky.
This image was made in the morning when the fog was heavy. It was shot in color but given the fog, leafless trees, and brownish stones, color did not add anything to the image. By converting the image into black and white, I focused on the subject of the heron on the dam framed by the trees. In the original image, the detail in the upper right corner was blown out. I brought it back essentially by using the dehazing filter. Regardless of what software you use, there are certain filters that allow you to decrease the highlight in an area to allow the details to emerge. However, since the point is to capture the fog in the scene, you want to balance bringing out the details with maintaining the effect of fog.
The image would have worked without the bird, but I think the bird makes the image. I also decided to keep the bird as a smaller part of the overall image, rather than just do a close up. The point after all was to capture the scene and atmosphere and not do a nature photograph of just the bird.
You should never be discouraged to go out photographing in inclement weather. Sometimes fog and overcast clouds allow you to create moody images. Not everything has to be the bright blue sky.