The Oxtongue river is in the Muskoka area of Ontario, Canada and it is a favourite locations for “leaf peepers” and nature photographers in autumn.
On a cold autumn morning, the relatively warm water of the river “smokes” as it does over lakes. Fog has a magical effect. It gives that three dimensional feel to a flat image, as it separates the foreground from the background. Because of this, a composition happened which was fleeting, lasting only for a half hour after sunrise.
The tree in the center of the image became so distinct from the background that its outline firmly took the eye over to the left of the image. The eye enters in the left lower corner with the point of rocks, moves to the tree in the center and ends up in the vibrant colour of the left side of the image.
The fog also added increased simplicity to the composition which can never hurt.
I have spent a lot of time photographing in this location. More images from this area in later posts.
Peter Van Rhijn Photography 