Under Fog & Sun

"Photograph: a picture painted by the sun, without instruction in art."

-Ambrose Pierce

The sun this autumn has seemed to cast a slight orange glow onto things, at least it has seemed to me. Usually in autumn, I see more of a golden or yellow tint, but since I began taking my autumn photos last month, I have been seeing orange. I photographed this sunflower and bee about a month ago in Half Moon Bay, on a day when it was somewhat overcast and there was a small amount of wispy fog rolling through the area. Because Half Moon Bay is right at the waters edge, the scene in front of the lens can change pretty quickly. One has to decide straight away if the scene presenting itself is snap worthy, because it will change in seconds.

It's amazing what the subtleties of fog can do to light and coloration. Just a few minutes earlier, the sun was shining straight down on the sunflowers and there was a bright orange glow to them. It was early morning so they were still damp from the dew the previous night. As soon as the fog rolled through, everything took on a matted finish and you couldn't really tell that there was a slight glistening to the petals, and the bees wings lost all their shine. Still, I was happy with the way this one came out. :) The picture below, better illustrates the orange glow and shows a more striking light. It was taken the same day, a couple miles up the road, just outside the town, at Pastorino's Pumpkin Farm, which sits about 2 miles inland.

So tell me, which do you prefer when taking photos? A softer more muted look from natural shadows, or a more striking direct sun glow?

-OndineMonet
"The Bee & The Sunflower"
Half Moon Bay, California
October 22, 2006
Afternoon