The Soup Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

I don’t know if soup in connection with fog exists in your own language but this is a very often used expression in Swiss German when speaking about dense fog and we may say to each other „what a soup again“. When hiking in the mountains you always have to expect this situation and no matter how blue your summer day began it can change fast to almost zero visibility. It goes pretty much down on one side on the hike we did so you are wise following the path unless you are familiar with the area.

I actually love fog, especially Sunday mornings when you don’t get out of your pyjamas with woollen socks on your feet … LOL … eating breakfast until noon but I also had funny experiences especially at my friend’s home in Nova Scotia sitting at the beach just being busy with putting sun cream to your skin when huge banks of fog moved in and we all set in the soup looking pretty stupid in our swim suits. Sometimes it can be a little annoying too and I remember two days of fog along the Maine and New Brunswick coastline when we saw absolutely nothing and we boarded the ferry over to Nova Scotia and we had no idea where we had been or where the ferry was driving us to … not very interesting but on the other hand I still have to laugh about this experience … this is travelling, isn’t it?

Buin, leo61, ciakgiak, Floydian, chicken, burraburra, avene, Waylim, fulvio52 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Buin (36988) 2009-05-20 9:08

Hallo Barbara!
Ein einfallsreiches und sehr stimmungsvolles Bild! Nur wenige Fotografen hätten in dieser Suppe auf den Auslöser gedrückt - aber es hat sich gelohnt. Ein wirklich nicht alltägliches Foto ... und sogar diese große graue Fläche trägt etwas zur Aussage bei. Toll!
Grüße aus dem fast sommerlichen Westfalen!
Frank

leo61 (42946) 2009-05-20 9:41

Hallo Barbara!
Erscheinen hier die ersten Frühlingsblumen,postest Du Unmengen von Schnee,heute mit 28 grad und Sonne pur,kommst Du mit Nebel(naja mein Bild ist auch "vernebelt"....aber ich merke die Schweit wäre nichts für mich,die Sommer einfach zu kurz.
Aber mir gefällt die Kompo mit den 2 halben Wanderen am Horizont und der mystischen Stimmung.
Gruß,Leo

Manuel1982 (942) 2009-05-20 9:42

Hi Barbara,
mal was anderes als die vielen Schönwetter-Photos ;-) Dein Bildaufbau ist einfach aber durchaus effektvoll. Die beiden Wanderer machen dein Bild noch interessanter. Wobei, in deren Haut würde ich nicht gerne stecken ;-)
Viele Grüße

Manuel

ciakgiak (10172) 2009-05-20 12:22

Hello Barbara,
I have to say that I don't like fog, I always want to see clearly... but your image is very elegant, pleasant and very well composed but.... I prefer the sun of Sicily, and I'm waiting for you :-))
Warm hugs
Giorgio

wolf38 (12549) 2009-05-20 12:50

Hallo Barbara. Der Nebel macht diese Landschaft transparent. Das Photo ist sehr stimmungsvoll. Ich kann mich mit den beiden Wanderern identifizieren. Die natürlichen farben gefallen mir sehr gut. Ein wirkklich subtiles Photo. Sehr schön. Viele Grüße, wolfgang.

Jeppo (11642) 2009-05-20 15:02

Hallo BArbara,

du solltest doch wissen, dass die Po Ebene - wo ich noch wohne - auch fuer Nebel bekannt ist....also gehe ich davon aus, ich werde danach nicht sehnsuchtig....

tolles bild..mir gefallen diese "nebeligen" Toene.....

ciao
silvio

Floydian (30970) 2009-05-20 15:15

Hi Baba,

How's life in foggy Swiss ;-)
I don't like fog at all, only when the sun starts to come out and finally wins, only then when it makes a perfect nice warm glow i like fog.
The both people, but also those very tiny details like those little yellow buttercups in front work so good in here. And although the whole image is very simple and i never would had make a picture of this, i like your effort in going out and push the button...thanks ;-)

Take care,

Henk

p.s
The new layout sucks, but most of all it's toooooooooo slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, so it will be a bit quiet from my side till all is fixed.

crhieatt (5143) 2009-05-20 16:49

Barbara,

There they are, wandering through the fog, hopelessly searching for the remnants of the old Trek Earth site! :)

Oh dear, I'm having trouble keeping my mind on the critique, I'm all befuddled, confused.

Fog, on the other hand. Ever been to Dartmoor. Plenty of fog, looks just like your picture. I was there once, many years ago, we were looking for a Tor - a rocky outcrop - to do some climbing routes. Even though we knew we were in the right field, it was so foggy we just couldn't find he rocks - and never did!

Cheers
Colin

chicken (1781) 2009-05-20 16:57

Walking in the fog, I like it almost as much as the views when above it. Great minimalist composition with the sprinkle of wild flowers greatly adding some interest to it - oh yes and the hickers of course, though I would have preferred to see them complete with legs and all.

gunbud (27585) 2009-05-20 18:53

Hi Barbara,
Another great bit of simplicity with the intrepid hikers treking through the the soup.
The wild flowers sitting out this steep lush green carpet make a wonderful lead-in to your hikers that add very effective scale to this lovely work.
Regards, Tom

burraburra (770) 2009-05-20 19:56

Hi Barbara,
Love your picture and love your note. I love fog also. Nice peaceful composition.
By the way in our country if the fog is thick we say "Thick as Pea Soup" :)
Good POV and good colours.
Warm regards from Australia,
Graham.

aadilj (17950) 2009-05-20 22:59

Magnificent work. Its soft and subtle and very well handled indeed with such hazy tones and textures

pboehringer (770) 2009-05-21 0:21

Lost in the fog and nothing to see and yet you managed to get out and take some shots? I hope you didn't have the splendid idea to get into the plane and fly around too ;-)
Almost nothing to be seen and still a great shot. The little yellow flowers and the two hikers are a great add to this minimalistic image. Although I would have preferred to see the entire legs.
Peter

avene (10894) 2009-05-21 5:20

hi Barbara :)
yes, I got the e-mail, will write back a little later, let's see what we can do about Utah.
yes, we do have a somewhat similar expression about the fog - that is as thick as a soup. and that's exactly what you have here, I like a lot the somewhat surreal scene, feels so quiet, as if wrapped in a thick blanket. the two people are just the right accent, seems they are floating in the fog, not walking. nice :)

best,
Kristine

rlrad (1187) 2009-05-21 5:28

Hi Barbara,

My grandma (she was 2nd generation Polish American) used to look at the fog and say "As thick as pea soup" or since she never liked to overuse a cliche, she might say "As pea as thick soup" or some other mixture of the original. But, the key was always 'soup' - I don't know if she got that from her parents or it was something in the American vernacular already, but now I say the same things (or at least think them) when there is a thick fog. My Gram's manner of speaking and sense of humor forever affected my own. We used to laugh so much when I was a kid, and even for a while after I was in the first hitch of my Navy career. Sadly, she is gone now, but I proliferate her nonsensical manner whenever possible. Wow, it's wild how something can trigger a seemingly unrelated memory.

Anyway, I like the fog if I am not trying to navigate a channel in a boat.

Whenever I am near the farm where Anheuser-Busch raises their Clydesdale horses here in St. Louis Cardinals, I try to drive by. It is in a little valley that seems to collect fog - even when there is no other fog evident. I am trying to catch some of those horses near the fence in the fog with some early morning light. I am yet unsuccessful, but I have seen this exact scene on several occasions. Of course, I did not have my camera with me then, but I will next time.

Anyway, must say your photograph is well composed and expresses the exact idea that you intended.

Well done - and thanks for the memories.

Reed

Waylim (10717) 2009-05-21 11:47

Gruesse Barbara,
This is a beautiful soupy day, Makes me want to have bowl of fog for lunch, hehe.

It can be a patch of fog and once you get pass it, it can be sunny again, it happen to me when I was going up the Santis many years ago. Off couse I didn't have gloves with me at some point you have to hold on to the wire fence to go up that steep and rugged rocks to get to the top, and it get soupy again and I couldn't see and my hands were cold...When we reach the top it was fine again.

The little white and yellow flowers suggest a sign of Spring, otherwise I would think we in the falls. The two hikers give great essense of the Swiss love of nature.

Way

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-05-21 13:48

Baba flies at her best, trademarked and signed, no mistake possible. LOVE IT!
Have lots of fun in Utah and Colorado. I'm really looking forward to what you, Kristine and Kristaps gonna come back with! Have a wonderful evening and a safe trip. See you soon. HUGS,
Fulvio.

Dyerco (8908) 2009-05-22 7:38

Hi Barbara
Yes we refer to a thick fog as pea soup. Nicely composed with the two hikers heading into the fog. Wonderful simplicity here.
Phil

Nicou (43977) 2009-05-22 7:59

Hello Barbara,

génaile compo, ce deux marcheur dans la brume, j'adore, avec la courbe de la colline, quelle iamge, quelle recherche, grandiose.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

MarianneS (14262) 2009-06-22 13:01

Hello Barbara,
I choose this photo on your gallery because of the fog which creates such a mysterious atmosphere. I have to say that now, I see the fog differently, because I know it can provide beautiful photos although I didn't try yet... but I will!
Your story about wearing a swimming suit and sun cream when suddenly the fog arrived made me laugh! I could imagine the scene :-))))
Have a good evening!
Marianne

Silvio1953 (40933) 2009-07-02 10:01

Ciao Barbara, fascinating misty composition with lovely inserrtion of walking persons, splendid light, very well done, ciao Silvio