Landscapes in Fog

Olympus OMD E-M1 with the M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 16mm with a composite of a 60" f/11 shot for sharp starbursts and glassy water and  an 8" f/4 shot to blend in greater context of clouds in the sky.

Stopped by Fort Armstead this evening what with the heavy fog following a weirdly warm day of persistent light rain. Spent pretty much all of my office day anticipating gorgeously scenic views.

My partner joined me on this little outing. He's been stressed over an upcoming visit from a friend, and I was a bit stressed myself having discovered someone stole my credit card electronically and made nearly $3,000 in purchases in a 30 minute span before the bank closed off the account (not the first time this kind of thing has happened, likely not the last). We both needed a bit of an escape to comfort, and he was in the mood for tacos, so I took him out to Taco Bell (his choice) and he humored me while I shot some landscape scenes.

Watching the fog roll in and out, the landscape altering between clear and hazy, was pretty neat to witness in person. Not sure what drove motion in the fog being as the wind was all but absent. I've never seen the Key Bridge in such conditions before, and it's a scene I hope to entertain my camera with again some time. I've really been on a fog-centric binge as of late.

Olympus OMD E-M1 with the M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 16mm and 50" at f/4

Heading back I stopped once more to capture the little-used railroad in the valley between the main highway and Fort Armstead Park. The glow from the nearby chemical plant and power plants was bringing a strong glow to the fog in the distance and it made for a nice symmetry shot as a square. Didn't indulge the scene for too long, though, as the hour was drawing later and we were both getting sleepy (not sleepy enough to fail in my commitment to blogging shots as they come, clearly). I shot the same scene (without the fog) back in my Nikon D40X days, struggling to actually compose the scene, let alone focus it, with the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8. I'm reminded frequently in subtle ways as to the benefits of operating in the mirrorless world with memories of these kinds of low light scenes being an insurmountable struggle.

Tomorrow I hope to do a bit of shooting around Baltimore City proper with my friend Rob. It will also mark attempt one of shooting real estate images as JPG, lightly processed and delivered in expedient fashion. Here's to hoping the change in workflow pans out.