Sometimes something you have seen every day for years will suddenly catch your eye in a new way, and you wonder how you never appreciated it before. That happened to me last week as I was driving home late one night. It had been a terribly humid day, and the humidity had settled into a dense, cool fog. As I drove by a tree in my neighborhood, one that I have driven by at least twice every day for the past two years, I saw it was transformed by the fog and the night. A street light behind the tree provided a nice backlight that filtered through the branches and scattered into pronounced rays in the fog. It was late enough that there was no traffic, so I parked my car and set up my tripod in the street to make this exposure.

This shot was only possible because I carry my camera bag with me everywhere I go, and my tripod “lives” in the trunk of my car. I encourage anyone who is serious about photography to try doing this for one week. Be constantly on the lookout for photo opportunities, and you will be amazed at all the shots you have been missing by leaving the camera at home!