My wife’s and my visit to the Yorkshire coastal village of Staithes coincided with the arrival of a bank of menacing sea fog that would not have looked out of place in a John Carpenter film. Out hearts sank : we had hoped to capture a view of the village from the high vantage point made famous by the landscape photographer, Joe Cornish. There was little chance of that when the fog threatened to prevent us from seeing the noses in front of our faces. However, we soon realised that the misty conditions were presenting us with the opportunity – which bright, clear conditions would not have allowed us – to photograph Staithes in a subdued, painterly and atmospheric light which helped to emphasize the mood of the place on that cold, fog-filled day.

Canon EOS 20D and EFS 17-85mm lens.

Exposure of 1/4 second at f/18.