Beauty Comparison, Like A Fishing Ratio...

Long ago an angler friend of mine told me 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. Since first hearing that statement others have said the same and I believe it to be true. The fish aren't wide spread and ready for the catching. No, the vast majority of fish are in specific areas where there is an appropriate mix of habitat, cover, and food.

I thought of that saying as I was exploring a local body of water this morning. On the whole the lake was pretty, but not of the caliber I needed for photography. As I continued to explore the lake for a photo-worthy scene I struck out - as if I was fishing in the ninety percent area where there was not habitat. There were no pictures to be found.

Then I rounded one narrow spot connecting two halves of a pond - a chokepoint of sorts. As I passed from one large area into another, the ten percent was found. (Really, it was more like the one percent was found.) In just a small area measuring maybe ten feet by thirty feet I was seeing steam fog rising from the lake. The scene was one of my favorite - steam rising on a cool morning, a sense of quiet other than birds, and a day beginning with opportunity.

To make a picture of the miniscule pretty scene was a challenge. I zoomed tight to fill my viewfinder with the rising steam. In the lower right, in the shadows, is a stump. Otherwise there is nothing but river bank vegetation and rising steam fog. Click... I recorded the scene that was close by, but in my mind was wilderness, likely from the seat of my canoe.

A quick movement of my eyes in any direction eliminated the scene. I was back to reality. The ninety percent of the lake (ninety-nine percent) was pretty, but not photo-worthy. For a few precious seconds I enjoyed the ten percent (one percent). The fishing adage held true for photography too.