Rosewhite is a small rural community of a few hundred residents that lies about fifteen kilometres east of Myrtleford. I drove past it on the way to photograph the pondage at Mount Beauty a couple of times and could see that there had to be a chance of a nice image in the right conditions. Lush green grazing land dotted with the glassy water of farm dams, autumnal colour lining Happy Valley Creek, and fog providing isolating ghostly trees at dawn were all potential to explore when I had time.
I’d been wanting to photograph in the fog for a long time. Researching locations, when to be there, and building an understanding of the conditions that create fog. I had previously jagged an unplanned shot on the Cradle Mountain Highway in Tasmania of an isolated tree in heavy fog at about 1pm but otherwise my efforts hadn’t paid off. Having seen fog on sunrise drives along Happy Valley Road, I was planning to scout the area from Myrtleford to Mount Beauty for compositions. So one horrible, wet and flat light late autumn day; I decided my time was better spent looking for locations than trying to get an image that I wasn’t going to be happy with.
I set off from Bright after a healthy breakfast and coffee and pointed my very capable Nissan Patrol at everything that was drivable in two or 4WD. On a side-road I marked a number of interesting trees, mainly dead but interesting nonetheless, particularly in fog. One of those trees sat alone at the edge of the valley with beautiful farmland leading down and up the valley surrounded by triangle shaped mountain ridges, with zig zagging tree lines leading the eye through the valley. The odd animal grazing was scattered about enjoying the lush grasses and a significant tree lined dam was mid scene. I assumed that if there was fog it would lay in the bottom of the valley following the creek line. With a good number of composition options and the day at an end, I was happy with the work, and returned to Bright.
That evening, while researching photography locations for sunrise the next morning, I discovered that the weather was clearing overnight, that the morning temperature was dropping significantly, and combined with the previous heavy rain was going to provide the exact conditions I had been looking for, fog! That morning I captured a three image set from the roadside. I’ve returned to the area on a couple of mornings in late winter to late spring and it has delivered every time. Returning in autumn, for some extra colour, is high on my photography to-do list.
All the images of Rosewhite to date are from a single farm, and all within a small area on that farm, probably within a few hundred metres. I’m sure the farmer thinks I’m crazy perched at the fence line in the freezing cold well before first light to take a photo of something he sees every day. I envy his office and backyard. The view from the kitchen window must make a pleasant way to start the day.