Just above the Grandfather Dam, the Wisconsin river gets very wide and relatively shallow close to the road. That’s where I shot this and it isn’t the first time I’ve done it. That little island stands out so well in the fog and this time you can’t see the hill behind at all. This is the heart of an eagle pair’s territory and I’ve seen and heard them both from the trail at the base of the hill and from the kayak. Lots of people ice fish here because it’s easy to just park and walk out and it freezes really early being so shallow. Ah, fog. You are irresistible.
Specific Feedback Requested
Yeah it’s a little incongruous with all the lily pads, but what can you do? Do they ruin the mood? I moved around to position the tree reflection where it would be most revealed. Also, there is a color shift that is totally natural in this scene. I didn’t have a polarizer on so it isn’t that, it’s just the way the sun was rising through the fog, but I don’t know how much it bothers anyone or how to fix it if it does.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Handheld
Lr processed for a little crop, white balance and other tonality adjustments. Brought it into Photoshop to experiment with the TK8 combo panel and I think I used a touch of soft light color or something like that and to remove spots from a dirty lens. Bad photographer.
The lily pads do not ruin the mood for me as they add another element to this moody image, Kris. All you need is one of those eagles perched upon the top of the tree. Just kidding as this is lovely as is. This puts me right there; I can almost feel the cool dampness of the scene. My only suggestion would be to clone out that stump to the right of the island.
What a cute little island, and perfectly set off by the fog! The lily pads are fine for me – they provide a path to the island and their overlap with the reflection ties the two elements together. I would be inclined to remove the ones that are cut by the edge of the frame, but that’s a small suggestion for a very lovely image.
Is there anything more magical and transforming than wandering around in the silence of early morning fog as the world begins to emerge out of it. This image captures that experience and resonates with me, for sure. I love the lily pads, which only add to the depth. While this could also work very well in monochrome, I think the colour adds to the mystery especially in the way you’ve shown just the faintest hint of earth tones on the island. I took a very similar photograph this past August while on our canoe trip. I woke up pre-dawn to an absolute white out and had to wait for anything to come into view. What began to emerge was a tiny island, much like in your picture. What a mystical moment!!
Wonderful image. You are correct: Foggy landscapes are just irresistible. The lily pads do not ruin the mood. They make for a nice, subtle foreground object. There is a great mood here, and you have captured it well. My only suggestion is to clone out some of those thin reeds for a cleaner, minimalist photograph. Well done.
Thanks tor taking the time to look and respond @Ed_Lowe, @Diane_Miller, @Kerry_Gordon & @Marc_McCann - I think I have three or four images of this same little island in fog. Each slightly different. I wish an eagle would be in that tree one day. Talk about perfect. In the summer I put a shot of a stream that empties almost directly behind this island on the other side of the river and I could hear one of the juveniles yelling its head off the whole time. They get so excited about new stuff in their lives. I guess I counted.
Yeah fog…it’s magic. I’ve tried some Photoshop magic, too, and cloned some of the reeds and the stump.
Just kidding as this is lovely as is. This puts me right there; I can almost feel the cool dampness of the scene. My only suggestion would be to clone out that stump to the right of the island.