Tualatin, Or - I have been out to this location a couple of times recently trying to capture a unique shot of this composition of a large oak tree in the middle of a large open nature preserve. It is close to home making it an easy place to access. It may not be the most incredible spot on its own the act of visiting it time and time again has helped teach me a valuable lesson in consistently going out to capture images.  

There are things you can do to increase your odds of success. Planning out the times that things happen like sunrise or sunset. You can go really in depth with planning with weather patterns, astronomical alignments with geographical features, and so much more. However, all the planning in the world is never a substitution for just getting out there with the camera!

I want to create something unique with my images that you just don't necessarily see every day or on just any given day. Sometimes, I get lucky enough to capture something neat by planning ahead and getting lucky enough on the first try. Other times, like this one, it takes multiple trips spending lots of time planning, scouting, and commuting back and forth. On this morning it was clear skies outside and very cold for the early fall season. Luckily, I got out of bed early enough to capture these conditions of ground fog on location!. 

It was perhaps 20 minutes before sunrise when I arrived and the fog was already beginning to clear out. I set up my tripod and composed the image before seeing this image flash across the back of the camera with the tree surrounded by fog and a small line of birds flying in formation on the right. This was all I could have hoped for. The image with ground fog was unique and beautiful, but I decided to wait around to see if another image presented itself. I was ready for when a massive flock of birds took off a few moments later flying into the composition and adding another element to an already wonderful image! I got lucky, but I was ready to take advantage of it all!