Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Fogtography

August 3, 2009, Grand Manan Island

This morning greeted me with a frequent sight on Grand Manan -- thick fog. When you travel to a coastal island, you have to expect bad weather -- especially this year, which seems to be unusually rainy.

Net Point through the Fog


Our trip to Grand Manan has had more than it's share of fog, and I was not enthused with yet another foggy day. Eventually, I decided to get up and go out with my camera anyway, just to see what would happen.

The house we are renting is right beside one of the island's most photographed sites, the Swallowtail lighthouse. As I was loading the car, I noticed that the lighthouse was visible through the fog, just a faint outline against the grey fog. I picked up my camera and took some photographs, and as I did, the fog began to lift just a bit. I continued to photograph, and after a few more minutes, the lighthouse emerged from the fog, and gave me some superb images.

Swallowtail Lighthouse


After having some fun with the lighthouse, my next stop was Pettes Cove, the cove immediately beside the lighthouse. I didn't plan on stopping, but the fishing weir in the cove caught my eye emerging from the fog, and I decided to see what it would look like against the grey sky and ocean. By now, the fog had just about dissipated, occasionally letting the sun shine through the clouds. The shimmer on the water in front of the weir was fantastic.

Weir at Pettes Cove


Fog can completely obliterate the scenery (at times here, you can barely see across the street), but when it's not quite so thick, it can create fantastic abstractions. On an island like this, you have to be prepared to deal with fog, and take advantage of what it has to offer.

. . . Rob Williams
http://www.robwilliams.ca