3.45am soon arrived and after a quick slurp of coffee brewed from the night before, we were on the road to Cave Point. We were at the correct location this time before 4.45am; predawn, and ready to shoot shortly thereafter. We couldn’t really see what we were going to shoot as the fog was thick, still we started. As the morning progressed, the light improved, though we didn’t get to see the sun until much later in the day. As previous experience had taught us though, fog can burn off quickly; in minutes, or presents a unique opportunity for photography, especially in a place like Cave Point where the fresh water is crystal clear with no pollution, or garbage to be seen and the scenery magnificent.

Slowly we made our way southwards photographing every angle we could find. From the carpark, there is a woodland path which closely follows along the top of the rocky bluffs and outcrops, you can’t get down to the water all the time from the path, but there are a good number of outlooks and places where you can clamber down using your hands, feet and knees, quite interesting while carrying a camera bag and tripod. Photo opportunities are endless, speaking for myself I know I only covered a small percentage of Cave Point and only time will tell if I did that well enough.

Other than the AWOL sun, everything was going to plan, there was no equipment hiccups for anyone, a slight scare for myself was that I thought I had left my cable release at home, luckily it was just not in it’s usual pocket of the camera bag, that would have meant no long exposure shots for me.

Another lesson learnt though, if it’s foggy head for wooded areas, the fog really works well  when combined with trees and the dampness associated with the fog helps add contrast and saturation to the foliage, that coupled with a circular polarizer and you’re in business.

We eventually made it to the visitors center where I had been the night before and decided to head back to grab some breakfast, by now it was about 9.30am. On getting back to the carpark, the place was full of fellow tourists now, to us it felt like the middle of the day, it’s was just beginning though for most people.

The fog was still present, ebbing and flowing through the morning, but generally showing no signs of going anywhere, by this point we were praying it would stay with us for the day, it was diffusing shadows nicely allowing us to shoot where we wanted as long as we wanted which was a huge advantage, our original plan was to take naps in the middle of the day while the sun was too harsh to photograph, but at 9.30am there was still plenty of shoot time for us, but not before breakfast!

To be continued…