Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday's Photolife--Fogging up

Wednesday's update and answer: Anette was the first to guess the Louvre on Wednesday's post, and Jenna was the first to reference the "big glass triangle." No one actually gave me the name though. It's part of Les Pyramides or The Pyramids. The glass pyramids at the Louvre that some think are an abomination and others love. I wonder if they ever have problems with the pyramids fogging up. How's that for a segue?

This summer a friend was annoyed that she couldn't get pictures at the beach because her camera always fogged up, so I thought I'd address this issue. It has a simple solution: plan ahead. Yeah, yeah, and patience doesn't hurt either.
For this picture, I walked directly out of the air conditioning into the steamy, humid air, pointed and shot. The temperature difference will fog the camera up every time. It'll happen going from hot to cold as well.
The trick is to leave your camera out in the atmosphere where you plan on taking pictures for a while before you start. For the 2nd shot I left the camera out on the balcony for about 10 minutes and everything defogged. The length of time needed is directly proportional to the difference in the temperatures. Sometimes it could take as long as 30 minutes but not usually.

Application to writing? When you sit down to write, plan ahead. Do whatever research you need before you write. It may help lift the fog of how a scene should go. It may even give you some ideas you hadn't thought of. In writing a scene about a catatonic person, it was nice for me to know that they can do more than just lie still in a bed. There was a lot more scope for the imagination.

12 comments:

Margo Berendsen said...

Actually that fogged up shot was kind of cool, but artistic reasons, I guess! good analogy to writing, too.

Patti said...

Love that house. So true, having a plan makes things a lot easier, even if that plan is only in your head.

Carolyn V. said...

What a great idea! I never knew that about cameras.

I am trying to do more research before I write, but I'm finding that I have a tendency to dive in w/o doing my homework. Then I have to clean it up later. Which is kind of hard to do.

Danyelle L. said...

It would have never crossed my mind that the camera had fogged up. >.< But I love the otherworldy creepy feeling the first one gives. :D Great tip!

J.R. Johansson said...

Great tips. I am a dedicated researcher and I'm amazed how much I've learned through that aspect of my writing.

Susan R. Mills said...

I hate research, but yes, it's definitely an important part of writing. I agree; it should be done ahead of time. Great analogy with the fogged up camera, too.

Jackee said...

Both shots are gorgeous, Lois! Where is that taken?

I think it's funny that Parisians hate the Lourve but now love the Eiffel Tower. There was a time when they thought that thing was an abomination too! lol :o)

Have a great night!

Tana said...

I can write an entire novel just on that first picture. Love the haunting image.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand the problem with the pyramids, either. Especialy since they're everywhere in almost every city, worldwide.

What an excellent lesson in photography and writing. I've been doing this with scenes and it's making things go so much faster.

Kelly H-Y said...

What great advice!

Laura Renegar said...

It was fun meeting you tonight at the SCBWI Carolinas' party. Glad we live so close!

Stina said...

Great tips. I'm a huge fan of research, and tend to choose topics that require me doing an extensive amount of it. :)