The fog was so thick that I needed a huge wave to crash behind the cormorants in order to silhouette them against white, to make them more visible. A moment later, the scene would be invisible, then the fog would thin enough to see them again. The entire time, huge swells crashed against the rocks, making the perch seem an odd place to dry out one’s wings.
What’s extra cool about this? Above is close to what I saw. However, raw image files contain a lot of data that we don’t see. A simple Levels adjustment reveals much more of the scene. Below is the exact same image. What one decides to do with the extra information is all about choice. There is actually more information in this particular image, but I prefer it more muted. Me, I love the mystery in the fog and while it’s really cool to see that I have more information to play with, I still like the top image best.
However, looking at the black and white thumbnail I created to go with this post (currently viewed at top of the righthand side panel) is making me think there are some great possibilities with bring in some detail, but keeping things monochrome.