Pulchritudinous Smoke

I've always been fascinated with taking pictures of smoke, fog, or any other type of vaporous gases. And yet I have never quite been able to put my finger on what it is about smoke vapors that appeals to me. Perhaps it is the evocative feeling of intrigue and mystery that one feels when surrounded by it. Driving through dense early morning fog is like ice-skating on a frozen lake. Aside from the crisp stroke of blades beneath ones feet, nothing else seems to be moving. The water droplets appear to be suspended in time and space, forming an ethereal atmosphere above, behind, beneath, and on either side of oneself.

The boy in the red coat is as frozen as the pixels in this photograph. Entangled in a veil, suspended in mid-air, immortalized by a backdrop of water vapor. One moment the boy seems to be running away from danger, but when one glances a second time at the image it seems to exude playfulness and ingenuity. Similarly, the nature of water, multifaceted as it is, is portrayed in this image as drama-inducing and as a harbinger of mystery.