As the seasons change during winter months, fog settles in early mornings over the Arabian desert. It is generally referred to as radiation fog, which forms in the early hours as heat absorbed by the Earth’s surface during the day radiates into the air, causing water droplets to form. It dissipates in the heat of the sun.

For the fog to form, it needs certain conditions such as calm winds which are more common at this time of the year. There also needs to be dust or sand in the air, because water vapour condenses around the particles.

My usual place for week end photography is the Al Marmoon desert conservation area where several man made lakes have been created and extensive forestation of indigenous trees are ongoing. On this particular morning I intended to drive to another part of the desert, but realizing it was a foggy morning I changed plans as i thought this will be a perfect moment to capture the fog hovering over the lakes. I was not disappointed.

The island of trees reflecting in the calm surrounding water was the perfect setting for what I had in mind. A dream like minimalist image that would be more about the mood than the actual place.

I exposed as much to the right of the histogram to get the majority of tones towards the highlight end. In post processing, I converted the image to black and white, brought back some definition to the shadows, by sliding the black slider to the left. I did not need to do much with the clarity as the fog already created an ethereal look.