I exposed more for the sky and the water than the other objects in the image

Early morning light is some of the best, but living out here on the edge of a continent, we sometimes have what we call “fog.” I’ve found that there are times when “fog” can create a late or second “magic hour” (the grail of so many photographers).

It still needs to be morning or evening, but there are times when as the fog swallows up the sun, and filters only some of it through, that the sky and landscape can once again get those warm colors. The visions can be especially nice if you are near water on a calm day, as I was on this morning when I was driving down Tomales Bay.

It was nearly an hour after sunrise when the fog started to break open a little. Light came filtering through, creating a rather magical waterscape. I drove quickly (with light you never know how long it will last, as it can be prone to change very quickly since the sun, clouds, mists, etc. are always in motion), to a spot where I knew there were some boats. I did not want to have the option of only photographing open expanses of water and mist, although that can also make for some very interesting shots. I wanted to be able to have options, to be able to play with my composition.

I took several shots of the boats, mists and water. Some were close ups of the boats, some showed just mist and water. This is one of the images I particularly enjoyed, largely because of the silhouette of the dock in the background.

I exposed this image more to keep the color in the sky and mists than to bring out the boat. In other images I have more boat detail. ISO speed was kept low to minimize noise. Aperture was fairly stopped down to increase my depth of field. The images were taken hand held.

Enjoy